How to Check Windows Version using System Information

Windows users can use System Information tool to check Windows version numbers, service pack level and the build number they are running on as Windows operating system.

Windows version check using msinfo32 - System Information tool is the easiest way of checking all system related data, parameters, and values.
Here is the steps to determine Windows version using msinfo32 System Information tool.

Click on Start buton.
Windows XP users can type msinfo32 in Run Command screen.
Windowss Vista and Windows 7 users can type msinfo32 in Start Search.
Press Enter

This will display the System Information screen as follows:

Create a password protected folder without any special software

In an earlier post I had written about how to create an invisible folder. That’s a method to create a merely invisible folder with no real protection.
Now, here we will see how to create a folder that will not just be invisible, but also require a password to reveal it and open it. The best part is that you don’t need any specialsoftware to do this. Just plain old Notepad is all that you need.
Note: This is NOT a very secure method of protecting your folders. So use it at your own risk.
Here is the code that you need:
cls
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Personal
if EXIST “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Personal goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p “cho=>”
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Personal “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
attrib +h +s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p “pass=>”
if NOT %pass%==pwd123 HERE goto FAIL
attrib -h -s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
ren “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” Personal
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Personal
echo Personal created successfully
goto End
:End
Now here is what you need to do:
Just copy the above code and paste it into Notepad. Save it by giving it any name you choose. Assuming, the file is called secret.txt, change the extension to ‘.bat‘ so that the new name becomes secret.bat. What you get is a batch file. You could actually save one step by saving the file in Notepad directly as secret.bat by enclosing the file name like this: “secret.bat” . This batch file is the one that you need. You can edit this batch file to change the folder name and the password. To change the name of the folder that is created, change the ‘Personal’ (in bold in the above code) to any another name you choose. Likewise change the ‘pwd123′ (in red in the code) to anything else.
Now let’s see how to use it. Place the file in the location where you would like to create your protected folder. Run the batch file by double clicking on it. This will create a folder named Personal in the same location as the batch file. You can now open this folder and place any files in it. Once you are finished, run the batch file again. You will be asked whether you want to lock the folder. Entry ‘Y’ (for Yes) and hit Enter. The folder becomes invisible. To retrieve the folder, run the batch file again. You will be prompted to enter the password. Enter the password, hit enter and voila! the folder appears.
Important: The batch file acts like a key to open the locked folder. So once you have created and locked a folder, do not keep the batch file in the same location since anybody can open the batch file and view your password. So I would suggest that you keep the batch file in a separate and safe place or better still keep it on your pen drive or flash drive. That way when you want to open the folder just copy the batch file to the location where you have your protected folder and run it.
Do remember that the above method is not intended to act as a substitute for the numerous free and commercial softwares that are specifically designed to provide security and encryption to your data.

How to Activate Windows 7 Manually - Windows 7 Activation Steps

Activate Windows 7 on this computer

You must activate Windows within 30 days of installation. Activation helps verify that Windows on your computer is genuine and hasn't been used on more computers than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow. In this way, activation helps prevent software counterfeiting. For more information, see Activating Windows 7: frequently asked questions.

To activate online, you'll need your Windows 7 product key. You can find your product key on the computer or inside the Windows package—or in a confirmation e‑mail if you purchased and downloaded Windows 7 online. Go to the Microsoft website to see examples of product key stickers. For more information, see Where do I find my Windows 7 product key?

If you can't find your product key, you might need to buy a new one. To learn more, see Get a new Windows 7 product key. If you receive an error message saying that your product key is not valid when installing Windows 7, see Windows 7 activation error: invalid product key.

Activate using the Internet

When you begin the activation process, Windows tries to detect an Internet connection. If one is found, you can activate online. If you use a modem to connect to the Internet but aren't currently online, you'll have the option to activate using a modem.

To activate by using a direct connection

1. Open Windows Activation by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, clicking Properties, and then clicking Activate Windows now.‌
2. If Windows detects an Internet connection, click Activate Windows online now.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. Type your Windows 7 product key when prompted, click Next, and then follow the instructions.

To activate by using a modem

1. Open Windows Activation by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, clicking Properties, and then clicking Activate Windows now.‌
2. Click Show me other ways to activate.
3. Type your Windows 7 product key, and then click Next.
4. Click Use my modem to connect directly to the activation service.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
5. Click the location nearest you from the drop-down list, click Next, and then follow the instructions.

Activate using the telephone

If Windows isn't able to activate online, you'll have the option to activate Windows 7 using an automated phone system.

1. Open Windows Activation by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, clicking Properties, and then clicking Activate Windows now.‌
2. Click Show me other ways to activate.
3. Type your Windows 7 product key, and then click Next.
4. Click Use the automated phone system.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
5. Click the location nearest you from the drop-down list, and then click Next.
6. Call one of the available phone numbers listed. An automated system will guide you through the activation process.
7. When prompted, enter the installation ID that's listed on your screen into your phone's keypad.
8. Write down the confirmation ID that the phone system gives you.
9. Type the confirmation ID into the space provided under Step 3 in the activation dialog, click Next, and then follow the instructions.
10. If activation isn't successful, stay on the line to be transferred to a customer service representative who can assist you.

How to bypass Windows Log in Password

Due to the security features built into Windows XP, it is virtually impossible to get back into the system without the password.
You have several options to try and get around this problem.
If you have access to another user account with administrator rights, you can use that account to change the password of the account that is locked out. You can also use the default Administrator account that is built into Windows XP.
First you need to boot the system into Safe Mode.

1. Restart your system.
2. When you see the blue screen, press the ( F8 ) key about 3 times a second.
3. You should get the Windows startup menu. Use the (Up or Down) arrow keys to highlight (SafeMode).
4. Press (Enter) on (Safe Mode), then press (Enter) on (Windows XP).
5. The system should boot to Safe Mode.

Once you are at the Account Log on Screen, click on the icon for the user account with administrator rights, or click on the icon for the administrators account.
Note: For Home the Administrator account isn’t normally shown & in Safe Mode you have to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys twice to show. For PRO you can do this in normal mode
When the system has booted to the desktop, use the following steps to change the accounts password.

1. Click Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools.
2. Click Computer Management.
3. Double click Local Users and Groups, double click the folder Users.
4. Right click on the account name that is locked out, and click on Set Password.
5. You may get a warning message about changing the password, simply click proceed.
6. Leave the New Password box blank, also leave the Confirm Password box blank.
7. Click OK, and OK again.
8. Then close all Windows, reboot the system and try to log in.

There are also applications that can recover the password for you.
If the above information does not help in recovering the password, the only option left is to format the hard drive then reinstall Windows and the systemsoftware.

External Hard Drive Data Recovery

External USB and Firewire hard disk drives comprise a case containing a standard IDE or SATA hard disk with a USB-to-IDE SATA or Firewire-to-IDE or SATA interface adaptor. These units are therefore prone to all the usual problems relating to hard disk drives plus some others that the external case and interface may bring.

Common problems:

Overheating due to inadequate cooling within the external case or blocked air vents. Modern external hard disk drives often contain a fan inside to disperse the heat generated by components. This fan however can become defective or the vents may become blocked resulting in operation above the recommended operating temperature.
External hard disk drives are also prone to impact, transit or vibration damage.

Symptoms:

The drive is not recognised by the BIOS, clicking or grinding noises, red or no lights on the enclosure.

Recovery possibilities:

Successful recovery is dependent upon the extent of the physical or electrical damage to the magnetic storage media or platters. Heat associated problems are often easier to remedy than those due to impact or mishandling.

Recommendations:

Do not run a repair utility on the drive (such as Scandisk / Chkdsk / Norton etc) - these utilities work the drive harder than usual and may cause further irreparable damage to the storage media and your data.

Example Manufacturers: LaCie (eg. Big Disk, Bigger Disk, Bigger Disk Extreme, Quadra etc), Iomega, Freecom, Maxtor (eg. OneTouch), Western Digital (eg. Passport, MyBook), Toshiba, Seagate (eg. FreeAgent)

Problems: External USB and Firewire hard disks basically consist of a case containing a standard IDE or SATA hard disk with a USB or Firewire interface adaptor. Thus, these units are prone to all the usual problems relating to IDE & SATA hard drives plus some others that the external case and interface may bring. Two of the most common additional problems we have noticed with these drives are:

• They get knocked over, dropped, banged etc. In almost all cases, the resulting impact they suffer will cause problems.
• They have a tendancy to overheat. This is due to inadequate ventilation on the external case. Some external hard drives don't contain any ventilation at all, a small number of devices may contain a fan inside the actual case to combat temperature build up.

Symptoms:

• If the hard drive has been dropped: The drive will probably make a ticking / musical noise when powered on. This is usually indicative of damage to the read / write heads &/or the motor. Recovery of data is often possible - click here to read more about recovering data from clicking / ticking hard disk drives
• If Knocked: The drive will make a buzzing noise - usually indicative of a seized spindle. Data is nearly always recoverable - click here to read more about data recovery from hard drives with seized spindles
• If Overheating: The drive will suddenly die and not be recognised by the BIOS, or the computer will appear to start running slowly and noises from the external hard disk may be heard.

Recovery possibilities: Entirely dependent on the nature of the problem. Heat associated problems are often easier to tackle than impact damage problems.

Do Not: Under no circumstances should you continue to use the device as you may cause further damage to the unit. Also, you should not allow the system to run a repair utility on the drive (such as Scandisk / Chkdsk / Norton etc) - this can often render recoverable data unrecoverable.

Please call us on 2348062611277

Recovering data from hard drives with seized spindle motors

Recovering data from hard drives with seized spindle motors

Seized spindle hard drive faults are a relatively new type of hard disk failure. They occur when the spindle that rotates the hard disk platters becomes seized, often due to the drive receiving a knock.

Types of drive affected:

• Any external hard drive that has received a knock / jolt whilst powered on
• All Seagate 7200.8 models
• All Seagate 7200.9 models
• All Seagate 7200.10 models
• All Seagate 7200.11 models
• All Seagate 7200.12 models

What are the symptoms of a hard drive with a seized spindle?:

• The drive will not be recognised by the computer
• The drive may make a faint buzzing sound (NOT a ticking sound that indicates a head fault)

What causes a seized spindle?: The most common cause is the hard drive receiving a sudden knock or jolt when powered on.
Why does the spindle seize?: Only a small part of the spindle comes in contact with a (relatively) heavy part of the hard drive. Even a slight knock is sufficient to make the spindle seize.
Is it possible to recover the data from hard drives with seized spindles?: Data Clinic can recover the data from almost any drive that has a seized spindle as we have the specialist equipment required to do so. Please call us on 2348062611277

Head faults - Recovering data from noisy / clicking / ticking hard disk drives

Head faults - Recovering data from noisy / clicking / ticking hard disk drives

Symptoms: When the computer is powered on, the hard disk -
(1) Will not be recognised by the computer and
(2) A ticking or knocking sound will be heard coming from the hard disk at regular intervals (often about 1 / second).
An error message similar to "Hard Disk not found" or "No system disk present" will be displayed, and the system will then halt.

Hard drives with these failure symptoms are often indicative of an internal failure of one or more of the read / write heads in the hard disk assembly. This type of failure is found with both desktop and laptop hard drives. Fortunately, if the correct recovery processes are applied, data from hard disks with these failure symptoms is often recoverable.

What is happening when the hard disk makes a ticking sound ?
Data is written to / read from the hard disk platter surface by a read / write head which is located at the end of an arm that moves across the hard disk platter surface when the disk spins. A faulty hard disk that produces a knocking sound is likely to have a fault on it's read / write head. The knocking sound you can hear is caused by the arm of the hard disk knocking against other components in the hard drive.

Example:
The movie below shows a laptop hard disk with a head failure. We have removed the cover of the hard disk so you can see what is happening internally.
(1) First of all, the disk powers up and the platter begins to spin until the correct rpm is reached
(2) The arm containing the read / write head then moves out onto the platter surface and attempts to read some basic information from the hard disk. However, because of the faulty head the disk is unable to read the data correctly.
(3) The disk then resets itself and attempts to re-read the data. This stage is repeated a number of times and is what produces the knocking noise.

Reasons for Hard Disk Failure

Hard Disk Failure

Broadly speaking a hard disk can fail in four ways that will lead to a potential loss of data:

1. Firmware Corruption / Damage to the firmware zone
2. Electronic Failure
3. Mechanical Failure
4. Logical Corruption

Combinations of these four types of failure are also possible. Whether the data on the hard disk is recoverable or not depends on exactly what has happened to the disk and how bad the damage is. Please note that over time, all hard disks will develop bad sectors which can lead to data loss and drive inaccessibility.

1. Firmware Corruption / Damage to the firmware zone

Explantion: Hard disk firmware is the software code that controls, and is embedded in, the physical hard drive hardware. If the firmware of a hard disk becomes corrupted or unreadable the computer is often unable to correctly interact with the hard disk. Frequently the data on the disk is fully recoverable once the drive has been repaired and reprogrammed.
Firmware failures - How to diagnose: Common Symptoms

• The hard disk will spin up when powered on, but be incorrectly recognised / not recognised at all by the computer
• The hard disk will spin up & be recognised correctly by the computer but the system will then hang during the boot process

Actions to take

• Recovering data from hard drives with firmware failure requires low level reprogramming / manipulation of the hard drive. It is not possible for a PC repair shop to do this. Data Clinic have our own specialist equipment that allows us to successfully recover data from hard drives with firmware faults.

2. Electronic Failure

Explanation: Electronic failure usually relates to problems on the controller board of the actual hard disk. The computer may suffer a power spike or electrical surge that knocks out the controller board on the hard disk making it undetectable to the BIOS.
Electrical failures - How to diagnose: Common Symptom

• The hard disk will not spin up when the drive is powered on - it will appear dead & not be recognised by the computer

Actions to take

• Data Clinic can recover data from all types of electrical hard drive failure.

Although electronic failures can happen to any type of hard disk, we find that Quantum Fireball drives are particularly susceptible to power spikes and quite often it's possible to see visible electrical burn damage around one of the chips on the controller board. Usually, the data on the hard disk has not suffered any damage and a 100% data recovery is possible.

3. Mechanical Failure

Mechanical hard disk failures are those which develop on components internal to the hard disk itself. Often as soon as an internal component goes faulty the data on the hard disk will become inaccessible.
Mechanical failures - How to diagnose: Common Symptoms

• When powered on, the hard drive will immediately begin to make a regular ticking or clicking sound

Actions to take

• Recovering data from hard drives with mechanical failure requires the drive to be worked on in a clean room as the drive has to be taken apart and investigated in lab conditions. Data Clinic have a fully equiped Class 100 clean room which we use to recover drives with mechanical problems.

Note: We see many laptop hard drives with mechanical failure. Fortunately the data is often recoverable. For specific symptoms, please read our laptop hard disk failures page
Do not be tempted to open a hard disk if you suspect a mechanical fault: there is nothing you will be able to do and you will contaminate the internal clean air environment. There is also a good chance that during this process you will destroy any chance that we have of successfully recovering the data

4. Logical Errors

Often the easiest and the most difficult problems to deal with, logical errors can range from simple things such as an invalid entry in a file allocation table to truly horrific problems such as the corruption and loss of the file system on a severely fragmented drive.
Logical errors are different to the electrical and mechanical problems above as there is usually nothing 'physically' wrong with the disk, just the information on it.
Microsoft Windows Based Problems: Four common types of logical failure are shown below - please click which one applies to you or call us on 2348062611277
 Logical errors can also be tackled with various software tools you can buy off the net, but be warned - if you are intending to run a fix utility on your disk you can very easily make recoverable data unrecoverable. This is especially true when running ScanDisk and Chkdsk on a damaged hard drive.

How to Fix Windows 7 When It Fails to Boot

Whether caused by a virus, a new operating system or by simple mistake, being faced with an "Operating System not found" or similar error during your computer system's boot up can be a nerve rattling experience. Assuming you have Microsoft's Window 7 installed however, do not fear, such a boot error can often be resolved in just a few simple steps.

First, check your BIOS and hardware

In many cases, having Windows 7 fail to boot may be as simple as having your BIOS set with an incorrect boot order sequence. It can be quite common if you have more than one hard drive installed in your computer and your BIOS gets reset. Usually you can access your BIOS seconds after your computer turns on by pressing the Delete button or by pressing a specific function key. Once in the BIOS, check to see that your system drive is listed appropriately in the boot order sequence; you may need to refer to your motherboard manual for help.

Another possible reason for Windows not being detected upon start up is a hardware issue. If your BIOS is unable to detect your system drive, check to make sure all the cables are plugged in properly. If your hard drive is making an odd noise, such as a clicking sound, your hard drive may be broken. Finally, it is possible that the hard drive is having data corruption issues, which has damaged important system data, such as the Master Boot Record (MBR). If you suspect a faulty hard drive, it may be a good idea to backup and scan your hard drive for errors from another computer and possibly consider buying a replacement. Trying to repair a boot problem on a damaged drive can possibly lead to even more data loss, so backup your data before attempting anything.

The MBR and other important boot data can also be damaged by trying to install an earlier version of Windows, such as Windows XP, alongside Windows 7 and by third-party programs, such as viruses. In the case of a virus, it is recommended that you run a virus scan of the drive before attempting any repairs as otherwise it could lead to more data loss. It is further possible to achieve the appearance of damaged boot data by having the wrong drive partition set to active, which can be the outcome of an overly curious Windows user with administrative permissions.

Fixing the MBR and other start up problems in Windows 7 is most quickly accomplished by using the Windows 7 Installation DVD. If you do not have a Windows 7 Installation DVD however, you can alternatively use a Windows 7 System Recovery Disc, which we will show you how to create further down in this article.  If you do not yet have either a Windows 7 Installation DVD or a recovery disc, do yourself a big favor and make a recovery disc right away to avoid any unnecessary headaches down the road.

Fixing the Master Boot Record (MBR)

Step one: Turn your computer on, booting from either your Windows 7 Installation DVD or Windows 7 System Recovery Disc.  Remember, you may need to change the boot order inside your BIOS to have the your DVD drive boot first.

Step two: After the installation or recovery disc loads, if prompted, select your language settings and then continue.  If you are using the installation DVD, when prompted by the following screen select Repair your computer.

Step three: The computer will take a moment now to scan itself for any Windows installations, after which you will likely be given a choice to select which installation you wish to repair.  Select the appropriate Windows installation from the list and then continue. If by chance a problem is detected in one of your Windows installations at this initial stage, the system may also ask you if it can try to repair the problem automatically. It is up to you if you wish to let the system try to repair itself, but otherwise just select No. 

Step four: Once you have reached the System Recovery Options screen, as shown below, you will be faced with a list of choices that can aid you in repairing a damaged Windows 7 operating system.  If you wish to try the Startup Repair option first, it is often successful in automatically fixing many different start up issues, but in this article we will be using the Command Prompt option to resolve our problems manually. So, click Command Prompt to continue. 

Step five: Now sitting at the command prompt, enter the following command and then press enter:

         bootrec.exe /FixMbr
If successful, you should be greeted with the message The operation completed successfully.  That's it!  Your Master Boot Record has been repaired.

While the above command does fix the MBR, and sometimes that is enough, there still might be an error with the system partition's boot sector and Boot Configuration Data (BCD). This might occur if you have tried to install another operating system alongside Windows 7, such as Windows XP.  To write a new boot sector, try the following command:

        bootrec.exe /FixBoot
If you are still faced with your Windows 7 installation not being detected during start up, or if you wish to include more than one operating system choice to your system's boot list, you can try the following command to rebuild your BCD:
       
        bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd

The above command will scan all your disks for other operating systems compatible with Windows 7 and allow you to add them to your system's boot list. If this fails, you may need to backup the old BCD folder* and create a new one in its place with the following commands:

        bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup

        c:

        cd boot

        attrib bcd -s -h -r

        ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old

        bootrec /RebuildBcd
*Some users also find simply deleting the boot folder and retrying the above steps effective at resolving boot issues, but it is not recommended.

How to change active partitions
Upon purposely changing the active partition on my system drive, I was faced with a BOOTMGR is missing error during my system's start up that prevent Windows from starting. It is a common mistake to make when playing with partitions on a system drive and it can be a headache to solve if not prepared. To change your active partition back using the Windows 7 recovery disc or Installation DVD, follow the steps below.

Step one: Follow steps one to four in the above guide. This should take you to the Command Prompt in the Windows Recovery Environment.

Step two: Type DiskPart and then press Enter.

Step three: Type List Disk now and then press Enter. This command will list all disks attached to your computer and assign them a disk number.

Step four: Type Select Disk x, where x is the number for the disk containing the partition you wish to make active. Press Enter.

Step five: Type List Partition and then press Enter. You will now be shown a list of the partitions on the selected disk. Determine which partition you wish to make active.

Step six: Type Select Partition x, where x is the number of the partition you wish to make active.

Step seven: Now, just type Active and then press Enter. That should be it - the selected partition is now active.
How to create a Windows 7 System Recovery Disc
Windows 7 makes it easy to create a System Recovery Disc if you already have Windows 7 installed and running. 

Step one: Click Start > All Programs > Maintenance > Create a System Repair Disc
Step two: Insert a blank CD or DVD into your disc drive.

Step three: Click Create disc and let the program do its thing.
That's it! It only needs to write about 140- to 160-megabytes to the disc, depending on whether your OS is 64-bit or 32-bit, and that should only take a minute. If you do not have a CD/DVD-R drive to create a recovery disc with, you can alternatively download the ISO image of the Windows 7 System Recovery Disc and use it to make a bootable USB flash drive.

How to create a Windows 7 System Recovery USB flash drive
Step one: If you do not have a DVD drive, download the appropriate Windows 7 Recovery Disc image from Here. You will need a torrent client for this step, such as µTorrent. Alternatively, if you have a DVD drive, you can use an existing Windows 7 Installation DVD or a Windows 7 Recovery Disc when at step seven. 

Using a Windows 7 Installation DVD at step seven will also allow you to install Windows 7 via USB, not just recover a damaged system; very useful if you have a netbook!

Step two: Open a command prompt with administrative rights. To do this, click Start > All Programs > Accessories and then right click Command Prompt, followed by clicking Run as administrator.

Step three: After accepting any UAC verification questions, you should now be at the command prompt. Make sure your USB flash drive is plugged in and then type DiskPart, followed by pressing Enter.

Step four: Type List Disk and then press Enter. Determine which disk number corresponds to your USB flash drive. In the following scenario, Disk 1 corresponds to our USB drive since we know our USB drive has a capacity of 2-gigabytes.

Step five: Enter the following commands in order, changing the disk number to the disk number listed for your USB drive.  Warning - the following commands will erase everything on your USB drive or the disk you select.
        Select Disk 1
        Clean
        Create Partition Primary
        Select Partition 1
        Active
        Format FS=NTFS
Step six: After DiskPart successfully formats the USB drive, which might take a few minutes, you will want to enter the following commands:

        Assign
        Exit
Step seven: You will now need to copy the contents of the ISO image you downloaded, or the contents of a DVD you wish use, to the USB flash drive.  There should be two folders and a file in the ISO image that need to be copied. To extract the files contained within an ISO image, you will need to use a program such as WinRAR. You can download WinRARhttp://rarlabs.com/download.htm

Step eight: Now that the files are copied, we will want to make the USB drive bootable. To accomplish this however we will need to download a small file called bootsect.exe; it can be http://www.filedropper.com/bootsector The file can also be found in the boot directory of the Windows 7 Installation DVD.  Once downloaded, place the bootsect.exe file in the root directory of your USB flash drive.

Step nine: Back at the command prompt, we will want to change the current directory to that of the USB drive and run the bootsect command. In our case this is drive E, so we will be using the following respective commands:

          e:
          bootsect /nt60 e:

The bootsect command will update the target volume with a compatible bootcode. If all goes well, you should now have a bootable USB recovery drive; just remember to add the USB drive to the boot list in your system's BIOS for it to work upon start up.

Error Message: Disk Boot failure-insert system disk and press enter

If your computer has just been formatted, your computer might require you to insert the boot CD to be able to run it. You might hence get the error message Disk Boot Failure- Insert disk and press enter displayed on the screen every time you will try to run it. This might be linked to:

• 1. The boot options not correctly set in BIOS
• 2. A non bootable CD is found in your CD drive
• 3. You do not possess any bootable device
• 4. You have installed a new hard disk
• 5. The hard disk is not properly plugged
• 6. Your system files have been infected

Solution 1: Ensure that your drives are empty

If there is a non bootable CD or disk in the drives, your computer might be attempting to boot the program with this disk. Hence, ensure that the floppy disk drive, the CD/R and DVD drives are all empty before restarting your computer and trying to run computer again.

Solution 2: BIOS set up

If this has not solved the problem, it might be linked to a wrong set up of BIOS. Hence,

• 1. To enter BIOS, press the F8 key when the Windows screen shows up upon the start of the computer.
• 2. Then all you have top do is to prioritize the boot sequence to Disk C:

Solution 3: New hard drive configuration

If you have just installed a new hard drive, you should insert the system installation CD and restart your computer again so that it reboots with the CD.

Solution 4: Hard drive not properly plugged in

If your hard drive is not properly plugged in, this can also lead to a rebooting error message. Hence, I will suggest you to switch off your computer and remove it from the power switch before checking the cables attached to it. Ensure also that the motherboard is correctly installed. Hence, put it again and try running your system.

Solution 5: Restore the corrupted system files

If neither solution has solved your issue, then it might be due to a corruption of your system files. Hence,
1. Start your computer with a system boot CD and once it is running, enter the command "Dir C:" to ensure that you can access the C: drive's contents.
2. If the computer enables you to access the contents, then you can enter the command

fdisk /mb

sys c:

Leave a comment 

10 Quick and Easy Ways to Speed Up Your Computer

Many people are interested in making the most of their hardware. So here are 10 simple tips on how to make your Windows computer run faster without having to purchase additional hardware.

Many people are interested in making the most of their hardware. So here are 10 simple tips on how to make your Windows XP computer run faster without having to purchase additional hardware.

1. Defrag Disk to Speed Up Access to Data
One of the factors that slow the performance of the computer is disk fragmentation. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. To speed up the response time, you should monthly run Disk Defragmenter, a Windows utility that defrags and consolidates fragmented files for quicker computer response.
* Follow Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter
* Click the drives you want to defrag and click Analyze
* Click Defragment


2. Detect and Repair Disk Errors
Over time, your hard disk develops bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing difficult or even impossible. To detect and repair disk errors, Windows has a built-in tool called the Error Checking utility. It’ll search the hard disk for bad sectors and system errors and repair them for faster performance.
* Follow Start > My Computer
* In My Computer right-click the hard disk you want to scan and click Properties
* Click the Tools tab
* Click Check Now
* Select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box
* Click Start


3. Disable Indexing Services
Indexing Services is a little application that uses a lot of CPU. By indexing and updating lists of all the files on the computer, it helps you to do a search for something faster as it scans the index list. But if you know where your files are, you can disable this system service. It won’t do any harm to you machine, whether you search often or not very often.
* Go to Start
* Click Settings
* Click Control Panel
* Double-click Add/Remove Programs
* Click the Add/Remove Window Components
* Uncheck the Indexing services
* Click Next


4. Optimize Display Settings
Windows XP is a looker. But it costs you system resources that are used to display all the visual items and effects. Windows looks fine if you disable most of the settings and leave the following:
* Show shadows under menus
* Show shadows under mouse pointer
* Show translucent selection rectangle
* Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
* Use visual styles on windows and buttons


5. Disable Performance Counters
Windows XP has a performance monitor utility which monitors several areas of your PC’s performance. These utilities take up system resources so disabling is a good idea.
* Download and install the Extensible Performance Counter List (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/exctrlst-o.asp)
* Then select each counter in turn in the ‘Extensible performance counters’ window and clear the ‘performance counters enabled’ checkbox at the bottom button below


6. Optimize Your Pagefile
You can optimize your pagefile. Setting a fixed size to your pagefile saves the operating system from the need to resize the pagefile.
* Right click on My Computer and select Properties
* Select the Advanced tab
* Under Performance choose the Settings button
* Select the Advanced tab again and under Virtual Memory select Change
* Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the initial Size of the file the same as the Maximum Size of the file.


7. Remove Fonts for Speed
Fonts, especially TrueType fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal performance, trim your fonts down to just those that you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that applications may require.
* Open Control Panel
* Open Fonts folder
* Move fonts you don’t need to a temporary directory (e.g. C:\FONTBKUP?) just in case you need or want to bring a few of them back. The more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources you will gain.

8. Shut down your PC nightly
There are a lot of slow down issues that can be solved by simply shutting down your PC on a nightly basis. During the day (or night) as you use the PC, resources are being consumed such as hard drive space and memory. Even though you may close a program it's still very possible that a good amount of the resources have not been released. This is why you periodically shutdown/restart your PC.


9. Use a Flash Memory to Boost Performance
To improve performance, you need to install additional RAM memory. It’ll let you boot your OS much quicker and run many applications and access data quicker. There is no easiest and more technically elegant way to do it than use eBoostr (http://www.eboostr.com).
eBoostr is a little program that lets you improve a performance of any computer, powered by Windows XP in much the same way as Vista’s ReadyBoost. With eBoostr, if you have a flash drive, such as a USB flash thumb drive or an SD card, you can use it to make your computer run better. Simply plug in a flash drive through a USB socket and Windows XP will use eBoostr to utilize the flash memory to improve performance.
The product shows the best results for frequently used applications and data, which becomes a great feature for people who are using office programs, graphics applications or developer tools. It’ll surely attract a special attention of laptop owners as laptop upgrade is usually more complicated and laptop hard drives are by definition slower than those of desktops.


10. Perform a Boot Defragment
There's a simple way to speed up XP startup: make your system do a boot defragment, which will put all the boot files next to one another on your hard disk. When boot files are in close proximity to one another, your system will start faster.
On most systems, boot defragment should be enabled by default, but it might not be on yours, or it might have been changed inadvertently. To make sure that boot defragment is enabled:

* Run the Registry Editor
* Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
* Set the Enable string value to Y if it is not already set to Y.
* Exit the Registry
* Reboot

Mouse Acting Erratic and/or Not Moving Properly

Issue:

Mouse acting erratically and/or is not moving properly.

Cause:

This issue can occur because of one of the below possibilities. These may vary depending upon the type of mouse you have connected to the computer.

1. Mouse is not clean.
2. Optical portion of mouse is blocked.
3. Moisture or other material on finger.

 

Solution:

- Mouse is not clean

Users who have an optical mechanical mouse (most common mouse for desktop computers) are likely experiencing erratic behavior because the mouse is not clean or is dirty. Information on how to clean the mouse can be found on our cleaning page.

Optical portion of mouse is blocked

Users who have an optical mouse are likely experiencing erratic behavior because a portion of the optical eye is blocked. Most commonly this is caused by a hair.

- Bad surface

Although most mice will work with any computer surface if you're having issues we suggest trying a different mouse pad, a book, piece of paper, or something different to verify it's not the surface causing your issue.

- Moisture or other material on finger

Users who are using a touchpad may experience erratic behavior because of moisture or other material on the finger such as a lotion.

• If your cursor is moving by itself and you have a touchpad see additional help below and information on this issue.

   

• This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilitie:.

  Touching the touchpad without realizing it
  Driver related issue
  Dirty touchpad
  Bad hardware
  
  Some laptops may have a button around the touchpad or an icon in the Systray that enables you to temporarily disable the touchpad.
  
  
  - Make sure you're not touching the touchpad
  Because the touchpad often is close to where the palms of your hands and thumbs lay, it's possible that you may be touching the touchpad without realizing it. An easy way of quickly identifying this, would be to see if the cursor moves without touching anything on the keyboard.
  
  - Dirty touchpad
  Oils, lotion, and other substances from your fingers can cause the touchpad to not work properly. Make sure the touchpad is clean by dampening a cotton cloth with water and rubbing the touchpad surface.
  
  - Disconnect other external input devices
  It may not be touchpad that's causing your issue. If you have other input devices such as an external mouse, graphics tablet, keypad, etc., try disconnecting these devices to make sure they're not the cause of your issue.
  
  - Disconnect from docking station
  If your laptop is only encountering this issue while connected to a docking station, it could be the cause of your issues. For this issue we suggest the below solutions.
  • Make sure your laptop has the latest BIOS update.
  
  - Update drivers
  Because the drivers control how the touchpad interfaces with the operating system, if the drivers contain issues, any number of problems can occur. Including the cursor moving improperly. Make sure you have the latest drivers from your laptop manufacturer for your touchpad either by visiting their website or contacting their support.
  
  - Bad hardware
  If you've completed all the above steps and continue to have issues with your touchpad, it's possible you may have a physical hardware issue either with the touchpad and/or interface connected to the touchpad.
  If your laptop is out of warranty and you do not wish to spend the money it takes to repair the laptop, we suggest disabling the touchpad and using an external USB mouse.

- Disconnect other external input devices

It may not be the mouse that's causing your issue, if you have other input devices such as another external mouse, graphics tablet, keypad, etc. Try disconnecting these devices to make sure they're not the cause of your issue.

- Update drivers and uninstall older drivers

Because the drivers control how the mouse interfaces with the operating system if the drivers contain issues any number of problems can occur including the cursor moving improperly. Make sure you have the latest drivers from your mouse manufacturer.

We also highly suggest that you go into Add/Remove programs and uninstall all previous installations of previous mouse drivers that have been installed on the computer. This is very important when moving between mouse manufacturers such as going from a Logitech mouse to a Microsoft mouse.

- Mouse has been cleaned and still has problems

If you've cleaned the mouse and continue to encounter issues and this mouse has worked in the past fine unfortunately your mouse is likely defective. One additional test that can be done to help determine if this is the case or not is to connect the mouse to another computer. Otherwise we suggest replacing the mouse.

Troubleshoot a Slow PC

Slow computer? Over the months and years, we download and install several programs to our PC's. Some of those applications and games we use often others once installed never see the light of day again. You only use a few applications every now and then so it makes you wonder, "why is my PC so slow?"

Essentially, a slow computer has an increased demand on resources. Over time we add: music, games, pictures, MOVIES!; and these begin to use up the finite resources of the computer. Before long, there are too many processes, too little RAM, and too little Disk Space.

Below are some steps you can follow to get your PC "back up to speed"

1. Backup Before anything else, make sure you save ALL your Documents, pictures, term papers, music, financial data, email, bookmarks, etc. You should always have and maintain backups.

2. Priority Updates. Make sure Windows is up-to-date: Our first line of defense against threats(Which cause slow computer). We recommend using automatic updates.If your PC is slower than normal at performing routine tasks, you may have spyware. Microsoft has a great FREE antispyware program.

3. Spyware is a small program which records information about your internet activity and relays it back to thieves. Spyware will impede PC performance considerably. A sudden decrease in performance could indicate a malware infection. Malware is the #1 cause of Slow Computer Performance

 

4. Virus infection. These are small programs, using resources on YOUR computer, which you never asked for, and make computer really slow! Keep antivirus software up to date.

5. Registry repair. Your registry is like a directory of all the programs you have on your system. This too can become disorganized and cause your hardware to run slowly. Speed up slow computer with a registry cleaner.

6. System breach. If you don't already have a firewall or don't think you need one you may want to review this step. Your computer could be sending and receiving unauthorized data. Do not be a spammer's zombie!

7. Unused Programs. Programs you do not use or do not need, require space on your hard drives, and in memory - making your computer run slow, and possibly delay startup and shutdown.

8. Wasted space. Remove temporary and unnecessary files from your hard drive. Freeing up operating space can speed up your PC.

9. File fragmentation. Over time, the data on your hard drive gets broken into pieces, making them harder to retrieve and update. Result: Everything take longer to retrieve and save.

10. Disk Errors. Your PC spends much time reading and writing data to the hard drives. Low performance can be caused by badly arranged or erroneous data on your hard disk.

11. System Recovery. If your laptop or desktop seems beyond all help, but is only a few years old, you have another option ... restore computer to factory condition.

12. Low Memory. Having enough memory can make the difference in speed. Eg., Windows XP runs very well with 2Gig or more, and well enough for most people with 1G, but a PC runs slower with less. Vista needs more. Adding memory can be the least expensive and yet one of the most significant ways to speed up computer.

13. Old hardware. Technology changes fast. And with each new change comes more advanced software to take advantage of the speed. It may be, your machine is just lagging behind.

14. Windows indexing service. The indexing service helps Windows OS find information faster. But if you are like most, it uses more resources than it is worth.

15. Eye candy. Some of the graphical options set by default are unnecessary. Speed up computer by turning off some of the glitter. Also extends battery charge on laptops.

16. Dust in the machine. After hundreds of hours of sifting through household air, the computer literally accumulates dust in the fans and heat-sink. This problem especially affects laptops.

Scan Your System For Viruses, Trojans, and Other Malware

Completely and correctly scanning your computer for malware like viruses, trojan horses, rootkits, spyware, adware, worms, etc. is often a very important troubleshooting step. A simple virus scan will no longer do.

Many forms of malware cause or masquerade as seemingly unrelated PC issues like Blue Screens of Death, issues with DLL files, and other serious Windows problems so it's important to properly check your computer for malware when working to solve many problems.

Note: These are general steps to scan and remove malware from your PC and should apply to any Windows operating system.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Properly scanning your PC for viruses and other malware could take several minutes or longer

Here's How:
 
Download and run the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. This free, Microsoft provided malware removal tool won't find everything, but it will check for "specific, prevalent malicious software" which is a good start.
Here's a list of everything it will find and remove.

Note: You may already have the Malicious Software Removal Tool installed. If so, make sure you update it using Windows Update so it can scan for the latest malware.

1. Update your anti-virus and any anti-malware software installed on your computer.
Before running a virus scan or malware scan, you need to make sure the virus definitions are up to date. These regular updates tell your anti-virus software how to find and remove the latest viruses from your PC.

Important: Don't have a virus scan program installed? There are several free anti-virus programs available so there's no excuse for not running one.

2. Run a complete virus scan on your entire computer. If you have a dedicated malware scanner that does more than look for viruses, run a full scan using that program too.

Note: Don't simply run the default system scan which may not include many important parts of your PC. Check that you're scanning every part of every single hard drive and other connected storage device on your computer.

Important: Make sure any virus scan includes the master boot record, boot sector, and any applications currently running in memory. These are particularly sensitive areas of your computer that can harbor the most dangerous malware.

Leave a comment