Tag: Troubleshoot
February 16, 2010 by
Jason
With the advent of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft has worked to allow enterprise customers to leverage an alternative to Virtual Private Networks (VPN). The latest versions of the Windows client and server operating systems introduce DirectAccess, a new feature designed to streamline access to corporate shares, websites and applications in remote worker scenarios. Microsoft is now providing a resource set up to enable business customers to cut deployment and support costs, as well as boost mobile users’ connectivity experience with DirectAccess.
“DCA informs mobile users of their connectivity status at all times; provides tools to help them reconnect on their own if problems arise; and creates diagnostics to help mobile users provide IT staff with key information if necessary all to help organizations operate with more efficiency, and at a lower cost,” revealed Tejinder Singh, from the Windows Optimized Desktop team.
Only Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate SKUs in conjunction with Windows Server 2008 R2 offer corporate customers DirectAccess, and as such the two editions of the client are the only ones supported by DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant. The resource is designed to streamline access to troubleshooting information, as well as simplifying the process of putting together and sending log files to support staff. Read More»
Posted in Software, Windows 7 | No Comments »
January 31, 2010 by
Jason An online resource from Microsoft is designed to diagnose and repair Windows operating systems, including Windows Vista SP2 and Windows XP SP3. The Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services are set up to perform what the Redmond company refers to as common system maintenance tasks. Specifically, the Automated Troubleshooting Services will not only detect a range of maintenance problems, including broken desktop shortcuts, unused icons, disk volume errors, and incorrect system time display, but will also correct them automatically, requiring very little effort on behalf of the end users, beyond running the solution.
Microsoft enumerated some of the issues that the services deal with, including: “problems with desktop shortcuts and icons (shortcuts on the desktop don’t work or are broken; desktop icons are broken or have not been used in 3 months; startup items don’t work or are broken); System maintenance tasks (free up disk space by repairing disk volume errors such as bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files and directory errors; free up disk space by removing error reports and troubleshooting history older than 1 month; set the correct system time and synchronize system clock with the time server) and the following errors: Windows update error 0×80072F8F and the item that this shortcut refers to has been deleted.” Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
January 12, 2010 by
Jason Windows 7 RTM can eat up some of the desktop shortcuts created by end users, Microsoft explained. Customers running the latest iteration of the Windows client have reported that in certain scenarios shortcuts that they placed on the desktop disappeared altogether. According to the Redmond company, this is expected, by design, behavior in Windows 7. At fault is the System Maintenance troubleshooter that will delete all shortcuts from the desktop as long as they are considered broken.
“The System Maintenance troubleshooter performs a weekly maintenance of the operating system. The System Maintenance troubleshooter either fixes problems automatically or reports problems through Action Center. When there are more than four broken shortcuts on the desktop, the System Maintenance troubleshooter automatically removes all broken shortcuts from the desktop,” Microsoft stated.
According to the software giant, the System Maintenance troubleshooter has a certain limit that triggers it to delete broken shortcuts. Microsoft informs that keeping the number of broken shortcuts on the desktop to no more than four ensures that they won’t be touched. But place five broken shortcuts on the Windows 7 desktop and they will be deleted. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 1 Comment »
January 09, 2010 by
Jason Microsoft Network Monitor
Microsoft Network Monitor is a network protocol analyzer that lets you capture, view, and analyze network traffic. Version 3.3 of Network Monitor is available in 32- and 64-bit versions. Download it now.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is an easy-to-use tool designed to help administrators of small and medium-sized businesses ensure that their Windows-based computers are secure. You can use MBSA to determine the security state of your computers in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations. MBSA also offers specific remedia¬tion guidance for security problems it detects, such as misconfigurations and missing security updates.
At the time of writing this, the current version was MBSA 2.1. This version is available in 32- and 64-bit versions, but it does not install on Windows 7. A new version that supports Windows 7 is due to be released sometime in the future. You can download the current version and get information regarding the a version for Windows 7 at microsoft.com/mbsa/.
Read More»
Posted in Computer | No Comments »
November 01, 2009 by
Jason
Windows 7 is an evolutionary Windows client release, according to Microsoft, and it was also fit that support for the OS would also be an evolution compared to what was available for Windows Vista. And Windows 7 comes in a world where Microsoft Support is much different from what it was when the company made its debut.
According to the software giant, “Microsoft Corp. was founded in 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. Customer support in 1975 consisted of Bill Gates and Paul Allen.” The focus on customer support has grown tremendously for Microsoft, as the Windows operating system became ubiquitous, and as the company started offering additional products.
Official statistics from the Redmond company reveal that this year alone traffic to Microsoft online support exploded to approximately 1.2 billion. “Microsoft Customer Service and Support now manages 30 million support requests online, through e-mail and phone each year in 29 languages across a range of products around the world. There are more than 7,000 agents in over 60 locations available to help Microsoft customers,” the company explained. Read More»
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October 09, 2009 by
Jason The purchase of a record-breaking windows 7 operating system to make it faster, better one day before the start of the second series I share with you.
21. Presentation Nirvana. Press Windows+P to access the new Presentation mode, and easily turn on your projector and laptop screen at the same time. No more messing with vendor-specific utilities and arcane keystrokes. (Windows+X accesses the Mobility Center, with additional presentation options.)
22. Cut the Clutter. Press Windows+Home to minimize all but the current window, removing background clutter and letting you focus on that report your boss has been bugging you about.
23. Be a Mouse-Click Administrator. Windows 7 makes it easy to gain admin rights with a keyboard shortcut. Click on Ctrl+Shift on a taskbar-locked icon, and voila! You’ve launched it with appropriate admin rights.
24. Faster Installations. If your computer is capable of booting from USB, try this: XCopy the Windows 7 installation DVD to a sufficiently large USB drive, boot from that drive, and install Windows from there. It’s faster than a spinning platter.
25. Burn Discs with a Click. Or two; double-click an ISO file to burn it to your CD or DVD writer. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 2 Comments »
October 08, 2009 by
Jason Windows 7 may be Microsoft’s most anticipated product ever. It builds on Windows Vista’s positives, and eliminates many of that OS’s negatives. It adds new functionality, too all in a package that is less resource-hungry than its predecessor. And whether or not you’re upgrading from Vista or skipping it altogether and moving up from Windows XP, you’ll need to know how to make the most of it in your environment.
1. Pick Your Edition. Most business users do not need the more expensive Ultimate Edition; stick with Professional unless you specifically need BitLocker.
2. Upgrading? Go 64-bit. As the second major Windows release to fully support 64-bit, the x64 architecture has definitely arrived on the desktop. Don’t buy new 32-bit hardware unless it’s a netbook.
3. Use Windows XP Mode. Yes, it’s only an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of WinXP but it’s an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of Windows XP! This is the first profoundly intelligent use of desktop virtualization we’ve seen and a great way to move to Windows 7 without giving up full Windows XP compatibility.
4. Use Windows PowerShell v2. More than just a shell, this is the administration tool you’ve always wanted: Parallel, distributed processing for administrative tasks! Manage 100 machines literally as easily as you manage one with the new Remoting feature. Windows PowerShell v2 ships for the first time in Windows 7, and within six months will be available for older versions of Windows. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 4 Comments »
October 08, 2009 by
Jason For most PC users, the migration to Microsoft’s new version of Windows will go smoothly with a little preparation.
Spending a few minutes getting your system ready before you insert that Windows 7 installation disc may save you hours of troubleshooting and repair afterward.
- “If any of your products have a limit on the number of times they can be installed with the same serial number, you might be denied permission to install them as part of a fresh install of Windows 7. Most of the time, there’s nothing you can do about this. You just have to try the installation and hope that you’re under the limit.
“However, some software companies allow you to deactivate the serial number from your old computer and reactivate it when you reinstall. This keeps you under the limit. Adobe in particular does this. For example, in Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional, you can go to Help, Activation and click Deactivate. By doing this, you’ll stay under the limit and you’ll be able to reinstall the product.”
A reader who goes by the name Alrock discovered a couple of quirks when he used Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor: Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
September 03, 2009 by
Jason Have you ever tried to share files on your home network but found that dealing with folder permissions and user accounts was just too frustrating? You aren’t alone; the process can aggravate experienced IT pros and home enthusiasts alike. Just imagine how your parents feel when they try to share files across their home computers.
HomeGroup helps simplify file and printer sharing among computers that run Windows® 7 on your home network. Domain-joined computers can also join your homegroup, so you can bring your work laptop home and access your music collection. You can set up HomeGroup as easily as you log on to most password-protected Web sites. HomeGroup is a feature of Windows 7, and Home Premium or better is required to create a HomeGroup.
The step-by-step instructions in this walkthrough provide a brief tour of the new HomeGroup feature in Windows® 7. These instructions assume that you have two computers running Windows 7 and at least one computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium or better on the same network, and neither computer is already a member of a homegroup or are joined to a domain. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
Windows Vista includes a command line tool, Powercfg.Exe, that you can use to configure power management settings. Windows 7 introduces a new switch, /energy, to provide a comprehensive report of those settings. It also offers diagnostics that can indicate which applications or devices might be causing power management issues (such as a USB driver not entering suspend) and what power management settings you can configure differently for better results. At an elevated command prompt, simply enter:
POWERCFG –ENERGY –OUTPUT
The tool will observe your computer for 60 seconds, and then create a file called ENERGY-REPORT.HTML in the path you specified. Simply double-click on this file to see what’s going on.
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
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