Windows 7 may repeatedly, inexplicably pause or stall–either for several seconds or up to a minute or more. This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including problematic drivers, bad RAM and more.
Here are a few fixes that have proven successful for a number of users experiencing this problem:
Check performance tools First, try the simplest fix. Navigate to: Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Performance Information and Tools > Advanced Tools. In some cases, this screen will display the problem files, which can sometimes be removed to eliminate the pauses.
Update BIOS A BIOS update may resolve the problem. Here are instructions for updating the BIOS on Intel motherboards, and here are instructions for other motherboards.
Check for bad RAM Faulty RAM is one of the more pernicious and elusive causes of frequent system pauses. See our guide for checking for bad RAM and eliminating the issues it causes.
Uninstall hardware drivers In some cases, this issue appears to be caused by installation of incompatible hardware drivers. Try uninstalling any recently installed third-party drivers then restarting. To do this, click the Start button then navigate to Control Panel > System and Security > Device Manager. Right-click any recently installed third-party items and select “Uninstall” then restart.
End processes Processes spawned by some third-party drivers can also hang the shutdown process. Try opening the task manager (control-alt-delete) and ending any processes related to third-party devices or other hardware connected to your computer, then re-attempt the shutdown.
Switch your antivirus software Antivirus software can be a performance boon, protecting your system against things that can slow it down, or a bust, actually slowing down your system itself. If you’re still using the antivirus software that shipped with your system, try switching to one of the many free alternatives and tweaking your antivirus settings. Some restrictions can severely impact performance and do not deliver an real security. For instance, although there is some risk involved, you can try excluding certain frequently used or memory-intensive processes from your antivirus protection list. Never do this for Web browsers or other network-connected applications.
avast!, AVG and NOD32 deliver solid mixes of performance and protection.
5. Check for unnecessary services Click the Start button, type services.msc and press return. Here you’ll find a bevy of services, processes and programs–some critical, some not. Disabling certain items, especially those that launch at startup, can provide a real speed boost, but don’t get trigger happy; disabling the wrong process can result in stability problems and other issues.
To disable a service, right-click it, then select properties and choose “Disable.” This article provides a decent rundown of services and their purposes. When in doubt, thoroughly inspect the description of a service.
Filed under Windows 7 by on Oct 16th, 2009. 4 Comments. 
Windows 7 is available in two flavors: 32-bit and 64-bit. The differences between these two editions boil down to one primary subject: memory. 64-bit systems can address more than 4GB of RAM, while 32-bit systems are generally limited to using roughly 3.2GB of RAM. In other words, if your system can run Windows 7 64-bit, you probably should do so.
The easiest way to check whether or not your computer is 64-bit capable is to download the tool SecurAble and run it. The program will instantly tell you the “maximum bit length” of your processor. If it’s 64, you can run Windows 7 64-bit. If it’s 32, you can only run Windows 7 32-bit.
Note that the only significant drawback to Windows 7 64-bit is that some hardware drivers may not be compatible with the architecture. Make sure you check the manufacturer websites for third-party peripherals, graphics cards and other components of your system to ensure 64-bit compatibility or download new 64-bit compatible editions.
Filed under Windows 7 by on Jun 25th, 2009. 2 Comments.
If you are experiencing slow Windows 7 shutdowns, there is an easy way to identify the potential culprit (an antivirus program, driver, or other process).
Navigate to: Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Performance Information and Tools > Advanced Tools. In some cases, this screen will display the problem files.
Failing that, open the “View Performance Details” option in the Event Log (Event Viewer). As described by BurrWalnut of the WindowsBBS forums, events in the 100 series are boot events and items in the 200 series are shutdown events. You will see an indicator of performance-slowing problems here.
Filed under Windows 7 by on Jun 9th, 2009. 4 Comments.
The Windows 7 RC1 roll-out, while smooth overall, hit a rough patch with some users. Problems run the gamut, from minor networking issues and gaming hiccups, to more serious boot failures and BSODs. Here’s a look at the top 7 annoyances plaguing early Windows 7 adopters, and the associated fixes.
1. Installation Fails
You won’t get much further on this list, or with Windows 7 in general, if the RC1 installation fails. Several users have experienced a problem in which the installer gives the error message “Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the Setup log files for more information.” Generally this error occurs in situations in which multiple disks are connected to the system. In order to eliminate this issue, disconnect any disks that are formatted as “dynamic disks.”
Meanwhile, some users have encountered an issue in which Windows 7 installation fails at the very end of the process, with the system rebooting automatically as soon as the Windows 7 splash screen appears. The system then displays a message indicating that it was not shut down properly.
This issue is, in most cases, due to a graphics card driver issue. One potential remedy is as follows:
- Turn your system off
- Disconnect your monitor from the DVI port and instead connect it to the VGA port on your system (this will require a different cable)
- Turn your system back on and reinstall Windows 7–the process should complete properly
- Disable Windows Update automatic update (in control panel>System>Automatic updates)
- Go to your motherboard or graphics card manufacturer’s website and download the latest Windows Vista driver(s); install the driver(s).
- Turn your system off and connect your monitor via the DVI port again
2. BSODs
Yup, they still exist in Windows 7. The most common cause of blue screens of death (BSOD) at startup, under Windows 7 RC1, is an antivirus software conflict. In some cases, this problem may be caused by a conflict with the Kaspersky Antivirus package. Follow these steps to disable the software.
Some users are also experiencing crashes or blue screens of death (BSODs) under Windows 7 RC1 when attempting to wake systems from sleep (hibernation). The first response to this issue is generally to disable sleep mode, but there is another fix.
Enter your system’s BIOS mode. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key repeatedly as soon as your computer is turned on (or right after it is restarted). For many computers, the key is F8, but it may be F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key. Consult your computer or motherboard’s manual or try different keys until you find the right one. Next check your HDD or storage settings. Turn off SATA and reboot normally.
Read more on The 7 Biggest Windows 7 RC1 Problems (and Fixes)…
Filed under Windows 7 by on May 7th, 2009. 8 Comments.
Many users have run into a frustrating issue in which Windows Vista x64 will not boot with more than 4GB of RAM installed in the system. In some cases, startup does not occur at all. In other cases, a blue screen of death (BSOD) or complete system freeze occurs soon after startup. Unfortunately, this issue has no clear-cut fix, but a number of promising solutions have materialized.
Check BIOS settings The first, and generally most successful fix for this issue is to modify your BIOS settings. First, boot into BIOS. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key repeatedly as soon as your computer is turned on (or right after it is restarted). For many computers, the key is F8, but it may be F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key. Consult your computer or motherboard’s manual or try different keys until you find the right one.
Next, navigate to your CPU settings and select “memory.” Look for a setting called “memory hole” and turn it on, then restart your computer.
If you cannot find that option, or it didn’t work to remedy the issue, boot into BIOS again and look for the “MTRR Mapping” setting. Set this to “Discrete” or “Enablde” and restart.
Remove RAM then perform a Windows Update Microsoft has released software updates that can resolve this issue. Unfortunately, you may not be able to apply these updates if you can’t properly boot your computer. The solution: remove one or more RAM modules until the total is under 4GB (we suggest leaving only 2GB installed), then run Windows Update by clicking the Start button, starting to type Update, then clicking Windows Update. Specifically, you want to make sure that Windows Update 929777 is installed.
Update your device drivers Try booting in safe mode by pressing the F8 key immediately as the computer is starting up. If the system boots and operates properly, a driver problem may be preventing the use of 4GB or more of RAM. Make sure all of your drivers are up to date. The fastest way to do this: click the Start button, start typing Update, then click Windows Update.
Next check the manufacturer websites for any of the installed hardware components you know of: graphics cards, motherboards, or just the manufacturer of your computer. Install any pertinent updates then restart your computer.
Check for bad RAM Check for bad RAM or RAM-related issues using Memtest as described in our previous article.
Worst case: Adjust maximum RAM In the worst-case scenario, you will need to reduce the amount of maximum RAM your system can address to something about 2GB but below 4GB. This can be accomplished launching MSCONFIG (click the Start button and type MSCONFIG then return), then navigating to Advanced Options > Maximum Memory. You might need to remove RAM, as aforementioned, to ensure a proper boot before performing this procedure.
Filed under Windows Vista by on Apr 1st, 2009. Comment.
Faulty RAM is one of the more pernicious and elusive causes of frequent system crashes, blue screens, inability to startup and other issues. Unfortunately, users may not realize that they have bad RAM, and may instead search out software conflicts or other potential causes for their problems.
If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned issues, especially in a repeated fashion or when running specific, memory intensive applications (a number of users have reported memory issue flare-ups when playing demanding games), your best bet is to test for faulty RAM with a utility such as Memtest86 or RAM Probe.
Both of the aforementioned tools must be run from a floppy disk, CD-ROM or external USB drive.
We’ll run through some basic instructions for installing and running Memtest86 from a burned CD (the most common method):
- Download the Memtest86 Windows ISO (disk image)
- Extract the resulting ZIP file, which will include an ISO file.
- Launch your CD burning application of choice (you can use a 15-day free trial of Nero if you don’t have one–if you use Nero, choose “Burn Image” and select the ISO file).
- Select the ISO file using your CD burning application and press burn (or record). Do not simply copy the ISO file to a disc–you need to burn it as an image. In most CD burning applications, you can select “Open” then choose the Memtest86 ISO file.
- Once the CD is finished recording, leave it in your drive then restart your computer. If the system does not automatically boot into the Memtest86 program, restart and again, and while the computer is booting, quickly tap the F2 key to enter setup (for most computers), and select the newly burned Memtest86 disc as your boot disc
Now you will be in the Memtest86 test center. The test will take some time to complete–let it run for at least one hour. After this period of time, you may see one or more of a series of errors.
If errors are displayed, remove one or more RAM modules then run the test again. You can also try rotating modules to different slots and check for elimination of the errors. For a full list of error Memtest86 messages, see this page.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Mar 25th, 2009. 4 Comments.