Software Solns

      Contact for all types of Software Problems and get realistic Solutions.

 

                                              

WINDOWS

Forgotten Admin or User's Password

You do not need to reinstall if you forgot the admin password.

There is a boot disk you can download at:

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
 

that will let you reset the password of any account on NT4, Windows2000 or XP.

Just follow all the default settings which are for the admin account. Used it many
times with great success.

They also have a bootable CD image you can download
 

 

Showing Common Tasks in Window

When you open a window from My Computer or the Control Panel, and you don't see the blue bar with additional options on the left side, you may simply need to turn on Common Tasks

  1. From that same windows, go to Tools / Folder Options
  2. Check Show common tasks in folders

 

Hiding Manage My Computer

If you want to remove Manage My Computer from My Computer

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies / Explorer
  3. Create a DWORD value called NoManageMyComputerVerb
  4. Set the value to 1
  5. Reboot

 

Editing the Boot.ini file

The boot.ini file is a simple text file that is on the root of the boot drive.
You can edit this with any plain text editor like Notepad (may need to unhide the file first)

  1. Right click on My Computer
  2. Select Properties
  3. Click on the Advanced tab
  4. Under Startup and Recovery, click on the Settings button
  5. Click on the Edit button

 

Running CHKDSK

One way to run a chkdsk (this is like Scandisk that was with Win9X), is to

  1. Double click on My Computer
  2. Right click on the drive you want to check
  3. Select Properties
  4. Click on the Tools tab
  5. Click on the Check Now button
  6. Check to Automatically fix file system errors - This is the same as running chkdsk /f
  7. If you want to Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, check that box - This is the same as running chkdsk /R. It can also add a lot of time to the scan
  8. Reboot if necessary

You can also run chkdsk from the command line with will give you more options.
The following switches are available:

/F - fix any errors
/R - identifies bad sectors
/V - with FAT32, displays a verbose output
With NTFS Volumes:
/I - Performs simpler check (stage 2)
/C - Skips the checking of cycles within folder structures
/X - Forces the volume to dismount if necessary.  Intended for server administrators and should be avoided for normal use

 

Identify Faulty Device Drivers

If you are having problems with lockups, blue screens, or can only get to safe mode,
often the problem is due to a faulty device driver.

One way to help identify them is through the use of the Verfier program

  1. Start / Run / Verifier
  2. Keep the default of Create Standard Settings
  3. Select the type of drivers you want to confirm
  4. A list of drivers to be verified on the next boot will be shown.
  5. Reboot
  6. If your computer stops with a blue screen, you should get an error message with the problem driver
  7. To turn off the Verifier, run verifier /reset

 

Hiding a XP Computer from Network Neighborhood

If you want to share files from a XP computer,
yet want to remove it from showing up in the Network Neighborhood,

Run net config server /hidden:yes

 

Easy Way to Share Multiple Folders

Added 3/26/04

If you need to share multiple folders, running the program SHRPUBW.EXE  will bring up a simple dialog box to let you:

  1. Browse to the folder you want to share
  2. Enter in a Share name
  3. Ender in a Share description
  4. Set permissions. Several choices are available
  5. Restart the process from within the same program

 

DOS Tips in XP

Windows XP cmd tip (DOS isn’t dead... it just smells funny) Some command-line folder creation examples:

To create multiple folders at once, add them directly to the "md" command:

C:\> md this is a test

To create a folder several folders deep, use:

C:\> md this\is\a\test

Creating a folder with a long name requires the double-quote at the beginning:

C:\> md "this is a test

Bonus tip: Windows XP supports the forward slash "/" as a folder divider. Unix/Linux users: don't let the DOS environment get you down. Use a Unix-style CD command to change your present working directory:

C:\> cd Windows/system32/drivers/etc

 

Faster DOS Printing

If you are experiencing slow printing for DOS programs with Windows2000

  1. Go Start | Run | Regedit
  2. Click Hkey_Local_Machine
  3. Click on System
  4. Click CurrentControlSet
  5. Click Control
  6. Go to the bottom of this part of the list and click WOW
  7. Click LPT timeout and change it to a 3

 

Repair Install

If XP is corrupted to the point where none of the previous solutions get it to boot,
you can do a Repair Install that might work as well as keep the current settings.
Make sure you have your valid WindowsXP key.
The whole process takes about half an hour depending on your computer
If you are being prompted for the administrator's password, you need to choose the 2nd repair option, not the first.

  1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD
  2. At the second R=Repair option, press the R key
  3. This will start the repair
  4. Press F8 for I Agree at the Licensing Agreement
  5. Press R when the directory where WindowsXP is installed is shown. Typically this is C:\WINDOWS
  6. It will then check the C: drive and start copying files
  7. It will automatically reboot when needed. Keep the CD in the drive.
  8. You will then see the graphic part of the repair that is like during a normal install of XP (Collecting Information, Dynamic Update, Preparing Installation, Installing Windows, Finalizing Installation)
  9. When prompted, click on the Next button
  10. When prompted, enter your XP key
  11. Normally you will want to keep the same Workgroup or Domain name
  12. The computer will reboot
  13. Then you will have the same screens as a normal XP Install
  14. Activate if you want (usually a good idea)
  15. Register if you want (but not necessary)
  16. Finish
  17. At this point you should be able to log in with any existing accounts.

 

NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM Not Found

If you get an error that NTLDR is not found during bootup,

If you have FAT32 partitions, it is much simpler than with NTFS.
Just boot with a Win98 floppy and copy the NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM files
from the i386 directory to the root of the C:\ drive.

For NTFS:

  1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
  2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
  3. Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair.
    Typically this will be #1
  4. Enter in the administrator password when requested
  5. Enter in the following commands (X: is replaced by the actual drive letter that is assigned to the CD ROM drive.
    COPY X:\i386\NTLDR C\:
    COPY X:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\
  6. Take out the CD ROM and type exit

 

Poweroff at Shutdown

If your computer does not turn off the power when doing a shutdown,
you may need to edit the registry. I have all the correct BIOS and Power settings and still needed to do this.

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
  3. Edit the key PowerOffActive and give it a value of 1
  4. You can do the same in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

 

Stop Password Expiration

If you want to do this for all users, enter:

Start / Run / net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited

Added 3/18/02

If you are getting an error message that your password is about to expire:

  1. Right click on the My Computer icon
  2. Select Manage
  3. Go to Local Users and Groups / Users
  4. Right-click on the user you want to change
  5. Select Properties
  6. On the General tab, check Password never expires
  7. Click OK

 

Enable / Disable the Task Manager

  1. Start Regedit

  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

  3. Create the Dword value DisableTaskMgr

  4. Give it a value of 0 to enable it

  5. Give it a vaule of 1 to disable it

 

ReInstalling WindowsXP

If you need to reinstall WindowsXP and want to keep all your current installed applications and settings:

  1. Start WindowsXP

  2. Go to the location of your source files

  3. Run WINNT32 /unattend

I've often need to do this to repair something that had gotten corrupted and didn't want to do a clean install

 

Adding SafeBoot to the Boot Menu

You can add Safeboot as an option to the normal XP boot screen

  1. Open a command prompt
  2. Copy the current c:\boot.ini to another name (just in case)
  3. With your favorite text editor, edit c:\boot.ini
  4. Copy then edit the current boot line to another line. For example:
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
    might copy and then change to:
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safeboot" /fastdetect
  5. Start MSCONFIG
  6. Click on the BOOT.INI tab
  7. Highlight the second line with the additional name of Safeboot
  8. Check the /SAFEBOOT box with option you want
    Minimal - Minimal set of drivers
    Network - With Network Support
    Dsrepair - Directory Services Repair
    Minimal (Alternate Shell) - Standard Explorer Desktop
  9. You will now have this option every time you start XP

 

Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages

To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:

  1. Start Regedit
  2. For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
  3. For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
  4. Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays
  5. Give it a value of 0

 

Using the Internet Explorer Classic Search

If you want to use the classic search engine in the Internet Explorer

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
  3. If it is not there, create a String Value of Use Search Asst
  4. Give it a value of no

 

Logging in as Administrator

If you want to log in as Administrator, but it is not show on the Welcome screen,

  1. Hold the Ctrl-Alt key and press Del twice.
  2. This will bring up the normal login and you can log on as Administrator

To unhide the Administrator account so it does show up:

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
  3. Unhide the Administrator key by giving it a value of 1

 

Creating a Boot Floppy

To create a bootable floppy from within WindowsXP:

  1. Insert a floppy into the A: drive
  2. Open the Explorer
  3. Right click on the A: Drive
  4. Select Format
  5. Check Create an MS-DOS startup disk
  6. Click on the Start button
  7. This will create a Millennium boot disk

 

Running NetMeeting

To run NetMeeting:

  1. Do a Start / Run
  2. Enter conf
  3. Answer the prompts along the way for name, e-mail etc.

 

Decreasing Boot Time

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis

  1. Uncompress the file.
  2. Run BOOTVIS.EXE
  3. For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
  4. This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
  5. After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
  6. Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
  7. Then run Trace / Optimize System
  8. Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
  9. Note how much the time has decreased
  10. Mine went from approximately 39 to 30 seconds.

 

Decreasing

Re-Enabling System Restore

If you previously disabled system restore through the Group Policy Editor,
the option to start it again does not show in the System Properties.
You can re-enable it again by:

  1. Run the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
  2. Go to Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / System / System Restore
  3. Set Turn off System Restore and Turn off Configuration to Disable
  4. Right click on My Computer
  5. Select Manage
  6. Go to Services and Applications / Services
  7. Scroll down to System Restore Service
  8. Set it for Automatic
  9. Click on the Start button to start the service
  10. Close down this window
  11. Go back to the Group Policy Editor and configure both to Not configured
  12. Now when you right click on My Computer, there should be a tab for System Restore and you can configure how much space will be used

Boot Time

Renaming the Start Button

To rename the start button, you will need a hex editor.
My preference is UltraEdit

  1. Copy the \windows\explore.exe file to a new name (e.g. explorer_1.exe)
  2. With the hex editor, open that file and go to offset 412b6
  3. You will see the word start with blanks between each letter
  4. Edit it be any 5 characters or less
  5. Save the file
  6. Boot to DOS
  7. Copy the existing c:\windows\explorer.exe to explorer.org
  8. Copy explorer_1.exe to explorer.exe
  9. You will also need to replace the explorer.exe in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache file as well with the new one.

Note: If the partition is NTFS and you can't access the files from DOS:

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon.
  3. Change the value of Shell from Explorer.exe to explorer_1.exe

 

Increasing Graphics Performance

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.
Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

  1. Right click on the My Computer icon
  2. Select Properties
  3. Click on the Advanced tab
  4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
  5. To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance
  6. My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

 

Creating a Shutdown/Reboot Icon

WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.

To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:

  1. Right click on an open area of the desktop
  2. Select New / Shortcut
  3. Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes
  4. Press the Next button
  5. For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.

For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00"

Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

Parameters

  • -l - Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.
  • -s - Shuts down the local computer.
  • -r - Reboots after shutdown.
  • -a - Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.
  • -f - Forces running applications to close.
  • -m [\\ComputerName] - Specifies the computer that you want to shut down.
  • -t xx - Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds.
  • -c "message" - Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks.

 

Creating a Password Recovery Disk

In case you forget your password, you can create a password recovery floppy disk beforehand to help you out of this problem.

  1. Single-click Start menu
  2. Go to the Control Panel / User Accounts
  3. Click the User Account
  4. On the left hand side, click on Prevent forgotten password
  5. You will need to know your password to create the disk.
  6. If you don't remember your password sometime in the future, click on the green arrow like normal at the login and you will be prompted to insert the password recover disk.

 

Disabling Hibernation

If you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't need to use it at all,
you can easily disable it.

  1. Open up the Control Panel / Power Options icon
  2. Click on the Hibernation icon
  3. Uncheck Enable Hibernation

 

Changing Programs That Start Automatically

WindowsXP has a similar program, MSCONFIG, that was available in Windows98.
This allows you to view and change what programs are automatically started each time you log in.

The new version also allows you to view and edit the boot.ini file (as well as check for errors and use several advanced switches)

 

Changing System Restore Settings

By default, WindowsXP uses a large amount of hard drive space for storing system restore points.
If this is not necessary, you can change the settings.

  1. Go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools
  2. Run System Restore
  3. For each drive or partition, you can click on the Setting button to change how much hard drive space is devoted to each one.
  4. There is even the option to turn it off for all drives.

 

Increasing System Performance

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
  3. Set the value to be 1
  4. Reboot the computer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                    W                       Window Vistas                        W                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                 WINDOWS AERO-The new hardware-based graphical user interface, named Windows Aero  – an acronym for Authentic, Energetic,Reflective,      and Open. The new interface is intended to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than those of previous Windows, including new transparencies, live thumbnails, live icons, animations

                 WINDOWS SHELL-The new Windows shell is significantly different from Windows XP, offering a new range of organization, navigation, and search capabilities.Wndows Explorer's task panel has been removed, integrating the relevant task options into the toolbar. A "Favorite links" panel has been added, enabling one-click access to common directories. The address bar has been replaced with a  breadcrumb navigation system.The preview panel allows users to see thumbnails of various files and view the contents of documents.The StartUp Menu has changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs. The word "Start" itself has been removed in favor of a blue Windows Orb (also called "Pearl").

                 INSTANT SEARCH-Windows Vista features a new way of searching called Instant Search, which is significantly faster and in-depth(content-based) than that of the search features found in any of the previous versions of Windows.

                 WINDOWS SIDEBAR- A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a user can place Desktop Gadgets,which are small applets designed for a specialized purpose (such as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can also be placed on other parts of the Desktop.

                 WINDOWS EXPLORER 7-New user interface,a search box, improved printing,Page Zoom, Quick Tabs (thumbnails of all open tabs), Anti-Phishing filter, a number of new security protection features, Internationalized Domain Name support (IDN), and improved web standards support. IE7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system (protected mode); exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent.

                 WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER 11-a major revamp of Microsoft's program for playing and organizing music and video. New features in this version include word wheeling (or "search as you type"), a new GUI for the media library, photo display and organization, and the ability to share music libraries over a network with other Vista machines,XBOX360 integration.

                 BACKUP AND RESTORE CENTER : Includes a backup and restore application that gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are incremental, storing only the changes each time, minimizing the disk usage. It also features CompletePC Backup (available only in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise versions) which backs up an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. CompletePC Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new hardware or hard disk in case of any hardware failures. CompletePC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista, or from the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so corrupt that it cannot start up normally from the hard disk.

                 WINDOWS MAIL- A replacement for Outlook Express that includes a new mail store that improves stability,and features integrated Instant Search. It has the Phishing Filter like IE7 and a Junk Mail Filtering which is enhanced through regular updates via Windows Update.

                 WINDOWS CALENDER-is a new calendar and task application.

                 WINDOWS PHOTO GALLERY-a photo and movie library management application. WPG can import from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items, adjust colors and exposure, create and display slideshows (with pan and fade effects), and burn slideshows to DVD.

                 WINDOWS DVD MAKER-a companion program to Windows Movie Maker , which provides the ability to create video DVDs based on a user's content. Users can design a DVD with title, menu, video, soundtrack, pan and zoom motion effects on pictures or slides,in minutes.

                 WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER- which was previously exclusively bundled as a separate version of Windows XP, known as Windows Xp Media Center Edition   has been incorporated into the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista.  

                 GAMES AND GAMES EXPLORER-Games included with Windows have been modified to showcase Vista's graphics capabilities.A new Games Explorer special folder holds shortcuts and information to all games on the user's computer.

                 WINDOWS MOBILITY CENTER iis a control panel that centralizes the most relevant information related to mobile computing (e.g. brightness, sound, battery level / power scheme selection, wireless network, screen orientation, presentation settings, etc.).

                 WINDOWS MEETING SPACE-Users can share applications (or their entire Desktop) with other users on the local network, or over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology (higher versions than Starter and Home Basic can take advantage of hosting capabilities, limiting previous to "join" mode only).

                 SHADOW COPY-automatically creates daily backup copies of files and folders. Users can also create "shadow copies" by setting a System Protection Point using the System Protection tab in the System control panel. The user can be presented multiple versions of a file throughout a limited history and be allowed to restore, delete, or copy those versions. This feature is available only in the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista and is inherited from Windows 2003 Server.

                  WINDOWS UPDATE-Software and security updates have been simplified now operating solely via a control panel instead of as a Web Application Windows Mail's spam filter and Windows Defender's definitions are updated automatically via Windows Update. Users that choose the recommended setting for Automatic Updates will have the latest drivers installed and available when they add a new device.

                  WINDOWS ULTIMATE EXTRAS-The Ultimate Edition of Windows Vista provides access to extra games and tools, available through Windows Update. This replaces the Microsoft Plus ssoftware bundle that was sold alongside prior versions of Windows.               

  •         BUILT IN HARD DRIVE PARTITION MANAGEMENT: A utility to modify hard disk drive partitions, including shrinking, creating and formatting new partitions.
  •  
  •         PERFORMANCE DIAGONISTIC CONSOLE includes various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources activities of CPU, disks, network, memory and other resources. It shows the operations on files, the opened connections, etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Symptoms of the problem

After you install a new hardware device or new software on a Windows XP-based computer, you may experience one of the following symptoms:
• The computer continuously restarts.
• You receive an error message on a blue screen.

 

Steps to resolve the problem

Step 1: Disconnect any new hardware

If you recently installed a new hardware device, disconnect the device, and then try to start Windows XP again. If you can start Windows XP after you disconnect the device, contact the device manufacturer to obtain updated drivers for the device or to learn about any other known issues.

Step 2: Start the computer by using the Last Known Good Configuration feature
a. Start the computer.
b. When you see the Please select the operating system to start message, press the F8 key.
c. When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, use the ARROW keys to select Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked), and then press ENTER.
d. If you are running other operating systems on the computer, use the ARROW keys to select Microsoft Windows XP, and then press ENTER.
Notes
• By using the Last Known Good Configuration feature, you can recover from configuration problems such as newly installed drivers that may be incorrect for the computer's hardware. This feature does not correct problems that are caused by missing drivers, by missing files, by corrupted drivers, or by corrupted files.
• The Last Known Good Configuration feature uses information that is saved from the last time that you shut down the computer. This information is used to restore registry settings and drivers. Therefore, you can use this feature only if you can start the computer successfully before you restore the computer by using the last known good configuration.
• After you start the computer by using the Last Known Good Configuration feature, changes that were made since the last successful startup are lost.
Step 3: Use the System Restore feature

Method 1: If Windows XP does not start
a. Restart the computer, and then press F8 during the initial startup to start the computer in safe mode by using a command prompt.

For more information about safe mode, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
A description of the safe mode boot options in Windows XP
b. Log on to the computer by using an administrator account or by using an account that has administrator credentials.
c. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:
%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
d. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore the computer to an earlier state.
Method 2: If Windows XP starts
a. Log on to Windows by using an administrator account.
b. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
c. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time if this option is not already selected. Then, click Next.
d. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system checkpoint in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next. You may receive a message that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
e. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then System Restore restarts the computer.
f. Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page appears.
g. Click OK.
Step 4: If a fix or a workaround is not available, you can use the "Advanced Troubleshooting" section to try to resolve this issue

If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for help or contact support. For information about how to contact support, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

 

Advanced troubleshooting

This section is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone for help or contact support.

Step 1: Start Windows XP in safe mode

a. Restart the computer. Press the F8 key repeatedly when the screen becomes blank.
b. Click Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
c. If you are prompted to select a version of Windows, select the correct version, and then press ENTER.

Step 2: Use the Rollback Driver feature

a. Start Device Manager. To do this, click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK
b. Double-click the device for which you want to restore the driver.
c. Click the Driver tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button.

Step 3: Determine whether a third-party program is causing the issue

Note If you disable all Microsoft services and then restart the computer, the System Restore utility is disabled, and you lose all system restore points. Therefore, we do not recommend that you disable all Microsoft services when you use the Msconfig utility to troubleshoot connection issues.
a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear all check boxes except the Load System Services check box.
c. Click the Services tab, and then click Hide all Microsoft Services.
d. Click Disable all.
e. Click OK, and then restart the computer.
If Windows XP starts, go to Step 4. If Windows XP does not start, go to Step 6.

Step 4: Determine the conflicting program or the conflicting utility

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the Startup tab.

Because of the number of entries that may be listed, we recommend that you determine the conflicting program by using the following process of elimination:
1. Select approximately half of the listed items, and then click OK.
2. Restart the computer.

Note If Windows XP does not start, restart Windows XP in safe mode.
3. Continue this process of elimination until you have identified the conflicting program.
c. We recommend that you remove the program if you are not using it. Or, configure the program so that it does not start when the computer starts.

Note You may have to contact the software vendor for information about how to perform this configuration.

Step 5: Determine whether a third-party service is causing the issue

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the Services tab, disable all the services, and then click OK.
c. Restart the computer.
If Windows XP starts, go to Step 6.

Step 6: Determine the conflicting service

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the Services tab.
c. Enable half the services on the list, and then click OK.
d. Restart the computer in normal mode.

Note If Windows XP does not start, restart the computer in safe mode.
e. Continue this process until you determine the service that is causing the issue. We recommend that you remove or disable the service.
 

 

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