Guide: Recommended Steps for Fixing a PC

Following are the quickest ways to restore any PC running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7:

Software-Related Methods

• Using F8 - Last Known Good Configuration
  
• From within Windows, System Restore
  
• From the OS Disc, System Restore (Windows Vista and Windows 7 Only)
  
• From the OS Disc, Repair Installation or StartUp Repair
  
• In Normal Mode or Safe Mode, Install Ccleaner. Run Ccleaner. Install Malwarebytes. Update Malwarebytes. Run Malwarebytes.
  
• Using Administrative Tools - Event Viewer, take note of any Events related to disk or memory-related issues. The Windows Kernel frequently records the exact event that is effecting the stability of the computer. You can then lookup the Event Codes using Microsoft Events and Error Message Center or EventID.net.

Hardware-Related Methods

With the Power Off and the Computer Unplugged:

• Check the temperature of the computer. It is possible that the CPU Fan and/or the Power Supply Fan may need to be replaced. If the computer does not include a Power Supply with a Fan, a new Power Supply with a Fan may need to be installed. You may also need to vacuum the computer case to clear any obstruction from the fans.
  
• Try moving the RAM to another RAM Slot. The RAM Slot may be bad.
  
• Try replacing the RAM with other RAM. The RAM may be bad. You can also confirm that the problem is bad RAM by usingMemTest86.
  
• Using Crucial.com, lookup the RAM Type to insure that it is in fact compatible with the motherboard.

With the Power On:

• Try resetting the BIOS to Factory Defaults. The RAM Timing Settings within the BIOS may have been set to an incorrect setting.

Windows 7 also includes a functionality called System Image which is a form of Ghosting. You can actually setup a backup that will image the PC on a scheduled basis. If there is a failure, you can then restore from the System Image that you made in your backup using the OS Repair Disc.

FIX: WinXP Setup Error "Setup cannot copy the file cmnicfg.xml"

The Problem:
During the first text-phase of setup, during the installation files copy, you recieve an error saying:
"Setup cannot copy the file cmnicfg.xml"
This error is related to wrong permissions set on the System32 folder.
What most likely happened:
- You had Vista/7 installed & you decided to re-install XP over it
- During setup you chose not to format the partition
Windows tried to delete the old Windows folder but left many files it couldn't delete due to changes in
NTFS permissions left by the former OS....

The solution:
You can choose one of the following options:
1. Format the partition.
2. On the destination partition, rename the Windows folder
3. During install, set the folder name for the installation to be different than the existing.

Fix: Office 2007 Setup Error 1406 on Vista

Symptoms:

While installing Office 2007 you get error 1406 saying:
"setup cannot write the value to the registry key"
if you click on Ignore it can popup up tp six times during the installation.

The error message that you receive lists the registry subkey that is causing the error to occur.When attempting to install Microsoft Office, it will often reference one or more of the following keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Classes > HWXInk.E-Ink

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Classes > HWXInk.E-Ink.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Classes > SketchObj.SketchInk
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Classes > SketchObj.SketchInk.1

In order to resolve this, we need to give the installer permission to write to these keys.

Solution:

Launch the registry editor by choosing Start > Run (or Windows Key+R) and typing REGEDIT.

Locate the first of the above-listed registry keys. Right-click on the key and click Permissions. In the list of groups or user names, see if “Everyone” is listed. If the group exists, skip to step 5. If the group does not exist, begin with step 1:

1. Click the Add button below the “Group or user names” box.
2. Click Advanced at the bottom of the next window.
3. Click “Find Now” on the right side of the next window.
4. In the list of results, choose the “Everyone” entry, click OK, and then OK again.
5. In the “Group or user names” box, be sure Everyone is highlighted, and check the box to allow Full Control.
6. Repeat for the next registry key in the list.

Once permissions have been adjusted for all four of the listed keys, reboot the computer and attempt to install Office.

Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/838687

Download Windows Vista SP2 / Server 2008 SP2

Microsoft finally released the final (RTM) bits of its second Service Pack for Vista/2008.

The client and server operating systems are based on the same kernel, and therefore use the same update package.

The SP2 update will be publicly available through Automatic Updates from 30th of June 2009.

But if you want, you can download and install it yourself:

At the moment, only 5 Languages are available: English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish

Download: Vista SP2/Server 2008 SP2 32 bit
Download: Vista SP2/Server 2008 SP2 64 bit

Important Release Notes From Microsoft:

Prerequisites

If you have any beta versions of SP2 installed, they must be un-installed prior to installing

• Use the Control Panel applet “Programs and Features” and select “View installed updates” from the top left of the task pane, under Windows, look for KB94846

You must have a genuine copy of Windows Server 2008 with SP1 or Windows Vista with SP1 installed on the computer prior to installing SP2

• Windows Server 2008 released with the Service Pack 1 code included
• SP2 is the first post-release Service Pack for Windows Server 2008

Recommendations

If “vLite” was used to customize your Windows Vista installation, you may have removed required system components which prevent Service Pack 2 from installing. See KB 968279 for additional details before installing Service Pack 2.

Beta versions of Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 are time-limited software that will operate until June 1^st, 2010. If you installed any beta versions of Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 it is highly recommended that you uninstall them before June 1^st, 2010

Fix: Network, Internet, Winsock, TCP/IP Connectivity issues in Windows XP & Vista

Network connectivity issues can be complex to troubleshoot.
I will try to list my troubleshoot guide for basic connectivity issues:

1. Physical Connectivity:


Although it is obvious, on most times people only check it last...
go through all your networking gear: from the jack on the wall to the Network RJ45 on your PC.
- Release & reconnect all the cables from the all to the network equipment and your computer.
- if connected to ADSL, make sure you have a Phone-Filter on all your phone-jacks using the same line.
- if you use a modem, check it is Sync'ed (ADSL/Cable Link LED is On & Steady)
- try restarting your Router, Hub/Switch. sometimes there's more then one device forming the network. for
   example, a router & a modem on one floor and another switch & Wireless AP on a second floor.
- check to see if you have LED lights on the Network-Card on your PC and on the Network device.
- make sure the network cables are firmly attached and have their safety-latch intact.

2. Resetting your TCP/IP, WinSock & Network Card Settings
Windows uses protocols, drivers & software to operate the network magic. we need to make sure everything  is setup correctly and not broken.
- Reset the TCP/IP Protocol:  
     In Windows XP SP2 and above (Including Vista) we can use this command: netsh int ip reset log.txt
- Reset the WinSock:
     In Windows XP SP2 and above (Including Vista) we can use this command: netsh winsock reset
- Tools: On older versions of Windows we can use some tools to help us to the fix: WinsockFix , NetRepair

- Reset the Network Card:
  a. Make sure your TCP/IP settings are correct: 
      Control Panel>Network Connection>Local Area Connection>R-click and Properties>Internet
      Protocol TCP/IP Properties > make sure the IP address and DNS settings are set to Automatically or
      Manually according to your network setup. if you're not sure you can always write down the current
      setup, try the opposite and later undo the changes it's not working.

      While you're there, make sure you have all the networking component setup. for most Microsoft-Based
       Networks you should see (at least) 3 components:
       Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer Sharing Service, Internet Protocol TCP/IP

  b. Try repairing the connection by: Control Panel>Network Connection>Local Area Connection>r-click
      and choose Repair. the Repair process is equal to Releasing & Renewing the IP and clearing the DNS &
      ARP cache. you can also to it manually from the CMD is your wish to make it manually:
        CMD> ipconfig /release
        CMD> ipconfig /renew
        CMD> ipconfig /flushdns

  c. Try Uninstalling/Reinstalling the network device from Device Manager
       (r-click My Computer>Manage) the plug & play process makes it quick and easy and the result is a
       network card that resets to defaults settings.


If nothing works...
Try having another PC/Laptop connect to the same cable and see if it works
Try temporarily-disabling and Firewall, Antivirus, VPN/Proxy Software running.
Check your connectivity with different software (maybe the IE is broken but Skype works fine...)

Of course there are many more things to check but these are the most important basics you need to know.
I haven't even written about nothing regarding Ping, Tracert, localhost, host file and many other useful information, but these will probably come in a later post :)

Vista SP2 doesn't have the TCP/IP Half-Open Connection Limit!

After years of struggle with Tcp/Ip patches, Microsoft finally remove the half-open connection limit.
Since Windows XP SP2 Microsoft limited the maximum half-open connections to 10 only. this limitation have caused many file-sharing applications to slow-down their download rate, and Event-id 4226 has flooded the system event log.

In Vista SP2 this limitation is finally gone! you can read more about it in this KB969710 Article
If you still wish to keep the limitation running (for any reason I can't even think of..) then use this registry tweak:

1. Locate and then double-click the following registry key:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\EnableConnectionRateLimiting
2. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
3. Exit Registry Editor.
4. Restart the computer.

Those of you who still works on older versions of Windows (Vista/SP1, XP-SP2/SP3) can use this Universal TCP/IP Patcher from Deepxw. Another fine patcher from Half-Open.com

UPDATE: The same as Vista SP2 update, so does Windows 7 not having the limit for the half-open connections.

Tool: Two Alternative User Account Manager for XP & Vista Home

Microsoft disabled the "Users And Groups" MMC snap-in in XP Home & Vista Home. The only interface left is the crippled "User Accounts" in Control Panel, that gives you much less functionality.

I offer you two cool alternatives...

1. Hidden User Account Manager UserPasswords2
Use this command in Start>Run: %windir%\system32\control.exe userpasswords2
it will show a hidden User Account Manager that will allow you to do more stuff such as  renaming your  
real user name (not the display-name) and change group membership.
To add this tool permanently to the Control Panel, use this tweak.

2. NT4 User Manager works in XP!

On Windows XP you can still use the old User Manager tool from NT4. Download and use this tool to have a complete control over User Accounts, Groups, Password Resets and more.