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:
- Start, click Run, type Regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
- Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.html
- Right click the value for the .html key and select Modify…
- 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]
Filed under Internet Explorer 8, Office 2007, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Apr 19th, 2010. 1 Comment. 
Several users have experienced an issue in which Windows XP PCs cannot see Windows Vista PCs on the same network and/or vice versa. Fortunately, this issue is usually due only to configuration issues and can be easily fixed:
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.
Filed under Windows Vista, Windows XP by on Jul 7th, 2009. 1 Comment.
It appears that Windows 7 beta testers who are using the publicly available release candidate of the new OS will need to uninstall the pre-release software and re-install their valid Windows XP or Windows Vista edition before applying the final Windows 7 upgrade.
Microsoft states:
“When you install the final version of Windows 7, you’ll need to do a clean installation. So plan on backing up your data then reinstalling your applications and restoring your data.”
However, if you are purchasing a discounted, upgrade edition of Windows 7, you will need to first perform a clean install of a genuine edition of Windows XP or Vista before proceeding with the final Windows 7 upgrade. Windows Vista can be directly upgraded to Windows 7, while Windows XP requires a clean installation.
Microsoft provides instructions on how to uninstall the Pre-release version of Windows 7 and revert to a previous genuine operating system.
Filed under Windows 7 by on Jun 26th, 2009. 1 Comment.
Users have reported a variety of local networking issues under Windows 7. These include an inability to see or exchange files with Windows Vista or XP systems, inability of other systems on the LAN to see Windows 7 systems and more.
Fix
Some networking issues may be related to mismatched authentication settings. Make sure that local area network authentication settings are the same on all computers on the network. To check this setting on, click the start button, then enter secpol.msc in the search field (use “Run:” in Windows XP) and press enter.
Navigate to Local Policies > Security Options and find “Network Security: LAN Manager authentication level.”. Make sure it carries the same settings on all systems and the server, if one exists.
Alternative fix
Some users have also had success with temporarily turning off the Windows 7 firewall, allowing other machines on the network to be discovered, then turning the firewall back on.
To turn the firewall on or off, open the Control Panel then the click the Windows Firewall icon and modify the setting on the left.
Filed under Windows 7 by on May 14th, 2009. 2 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.
Several users have experienced an issue in which Windows XP PCs cannot see Windows 7 PCs on the same network and/or vice versa. Fortunately, this issue is usually due only to configuration issues and can be easily fixed:
Fixes
Change network setting to home or work If you have your group set to “Public” in the Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7, 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 7, 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.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows XP by on May 6th, 2009. 17 Comments.
Microsoft has announced that it will post a downloadable beta of the Windows XP Mode tool for Windows 7 alongside the public release candidate on May 5th. The releases will be available from the Microsoft download center.
Filed under News, Windows 7, Windows XP by on Apr 30th, 2009. Comment.
Microsoft has issued a press release to accompany the posting of the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) earlier today. The statement divulges two important areas of information for the new release: system requirements and official new features.
System requirements are as follows:
- 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 GB of RAM (32-bit)/2 GB of RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit)/20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or higher driver
Among the officially listed new features:
- Remote Media Streaming. allows remote access to home-based digital media libraries from another Windows 7-based PC
- Windows XP Mode. Allows Windows 7 users to run many Windows XP productivity applications; available in Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate customers
- Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. helps analyze PCs in preparation for a Windows 7 upgrade.
- Refined navigation. Several enhancements to the Windows taskbar, JumpLists
- Windows Touch. Controlling the computer by touching a touch-enabled screen or monitor; the RC update includes several Windows Touch updates, including the ability to drag, drop and select items with touch.
Filed under News, Windows 7 by on Apr 30th, 2009. Comment.
Microsoft today released a slew of details regarding Windows 7′s XP Mode, which allows applications to run under a virtual Windows XP machine. According to the new details, XP Mode will require:
- 2GB of memory
- 15 GB of additional disk space
- a PC with Intel-VT or AMD-V enabled in the CPU
The first two requirements are easy enough to figure out, but many users aren’t sure whether or not their processors have the necessary virtualization capabilities (Intel-VT or AMD-V). Fortunately, there’s an easy way to find out.
Download and install, and run the tool SecurAble. If the program displays a “Yes” for hardware virtualization, as depicted in the image below, your system can probably run Windows 7′s XP Mode.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows XP by on Apr 29th, 2009. 1 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.