WindowsFixUp – Windows 7

Posted
10 February 2010 @ 4pm

Windows 7 RC Expiration Process to Start Valentine’s Day

Beginning on February 14th at midnight, the Windows 7 expiration process will start–with infrequent warnings first, then more frequent notices, then forced restarts every two hours, then a complete expiration and a black desktop. Here’s the full schedule from Microsoft’s blog:
“On February 15th, people still running the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) will receive a [...]

Posted
10 February 2010 @ 3pm

Tagged
Windows 7

Windows 7 Reports Wrong Processor, Causes Driver Problems

Some users have reported an issue in which Windows 7 reports an incorrect processor architecture. For instance, the system may identify itself has an AMD-based chipset when an Intel chipset is actually present.
This can cause problems with drivers–if the system installs drivers for the wrong architecture–in addition to other issues.
Fix
This problem can sometimes be fixed [...]

Posted
27 October 2009 @ 10am

Tagged
Windows 7

The 7 Biggest Windows 7 Problems (and Fixes)

The Windows 7 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 [...]

Posted
16 October 2009 @ 12pm

Tagged
Windows 7

Windows 7 Freezes When Waking from Sleep/Hibernation: Fix

Several users have reported a problem in which Windows 7 freezes when waking from sleep/hibernation (usually after the computer has been left alone for some time, the display/monitor turns off, then the user tries to activate the system).
This problem can sometimes be solved by turning off the auto-hide function of the taskbar. To do [...]

Posted
27 August 2009 @ 4pm

Tagged
Windows 7

Windows 7 Won’t Install: “A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing”

Several users are experiencing an issue in which Windows 7 will not install, delivering the error message
“Load Driver A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now. Note: If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, [...]

Posted
27 August 2009 @ 4pm

Tagged
Windows 7

How to Upgrade from Windows 7 RC to Final Version without Clean Install

Generally speaking, upgrading from a pre-release edition of Windows 7 (e.g. RC 7100) requires a clean install of the system, meaning that you will need to manually reload some files from a backup or other source, and will lose various system settings.
Fortunately, there is a way to bypass this requirement, although you may not want [...]

Posted
27 August 2009 @ 4pm

Tagged
Windows 7

Windows 7 Screen Flickers: Update Driver

Some users have reported an issue in which the display/monitor constantly flickers after updating to Windows 7. One poster to the Microsoft TechNet discussion boards, gbaker123, writes:
“The issue I am having is the screen is flickering and I can’t read any dialogue boxes. For instance, not even the screen resolution mode will come up. [...]

Posted
24 August 2009 @ 11am

Tagged
Windows 7

Windows 7 Freezes During Network File Copying

Windows 7 may freeze or hang when the user attempts to copy files across the network. “hetmankp,” a poster to the Microsoft TechNet discussion boards, writes:
“When I attempt to copy large files onto a shared network directory the entire user interface freezes. No response to the mouse or keyboard. Waiting several minutes (i.e. long enough [...]

Posted
24 August 2009 @ 11am

Tagged
Viruses/Malware, Windows 7

Windows 7: “No Internet Access” with Yellow Warning Icon

A number of users have reported an issue in which Windows 7 displays a message indicating that there is “no Internet Access,” accompanied by a yellow exclamation point warning sign, despite the fact that Internet access works properly in all applications.
Fixes
Disable link scanning in antivirus/malware software The number one cause of this issue is [...]

Posted
20 August 2009 @ 1pm

Tagged
News, Windows 7

Windows 7 RC Downloads Come to an End

If you wanted to snag a release candidate copy of Windows 7 via Microsoft’s Web site, you’ve missed your chance. As of this morning, a message on the site reads:
“Sorry, the Windows 7 RC is no longer available for download. If you’ve got the download and need a product key, they’ll be available until October [...]