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Windows not booting | low virtual memory | administrative privledges | chkdsk during every boot | unchangable wallpaper | Vista networked printing | reset Winsock | reset DMA mode | CD drive not detected | system event notification service | repair the master boot record | autorun not working in XP | Windows Update not working | user profile service failed the logon | XP firewall missing | MS Office: file changed by another user | Windows Update error 0x800B0001 | MSN7.mailhost | Win7 firewall broken | MSMAPI error in Outlook 2003 | PresentationFontCache excessive CPU usage | change start mode of services from the registry | proxy is set and is greyed-out

resolving various Windows errors

NTLDR is missing

There are multiple options that may or may not fix an NTLDR problem. If one fails then try another.

OPTION: write a new master boot record or fix the bootloader

  1. Boot the computer using the Windows XP installation CD.
  2. Hit R for Recovery Console.
  3. Choose the correct installation of Windows to work on.
  4. Type in the Administrator password (if there is one).
  5. Type FIXMBR at the prompt.
  6. Answer Y to write a new master boot record
  7. Type exit to restart the computer.
  8. If this doesn't work then repeat steps 1 - 4. This time type FIXBOOT at the prompt.

OPTION: replace the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files

  1. Boot the computer using the Windows XP installation CD.
  2. Hit R for Recovery Console.
  3. Choose the correct installation of Windows to work on.
  4. Type in the Administrator password (if there is one).
  5. Copy \i386\ntldr from the CD-ROM to C:\
  6. Copy \i386\ntdetect.com from the CD-ROM to C:\
  7. Type exit to restart the computer.

OPTION: repair the C:\boot.ini file

  1. Boot the computer using the Windows XP installation CD.
  2. Hit R for Recovery Console.
  3. Choose the correct installation of Windows to work on.
  4. Type in the Administrator password (if there is one).
  5. type edit c:\boot.ini
  6. Make sure the text is like that below. If not, then type it in as seen below.
  7. [boot loader]
    timeout=30
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP" /fastdetect

OPTION: replace the base Windows files

  1. Boot the computer using the Windows XP installation CD.
  2. Hit Enter to install.
  3. Press the F8 key to agree.
  4. When the install program looks for previous installations of Windows it will see a previous install. Press R to do a non-destructive repair that erases the base Windows OS files and re-installs them.
  5. Computer will reboot and run you through the first time install. After the first time install finishes you should be presented with your original stuff still intact.

computer goes into rebooting loop

  1. Boot the computer using the Windows installation CD.
  2. Hit R for Recovery Console.
  3. Choose the correct installation of Windows to work on.
  4. Type in the Administrator password (if there is one).
  5. At the prompt type CHKDSK /R to start the CheckDisk program. This will take a while and repair any problems with the file system. It's normal if the percentage drops down to 50% from a higher percentage. This may happen up to 3 times. Practice juggling random nearby objects while you wait.
  6. After it finishes type exit to restart the computer. Windows should boot normally.

blank screen

The Windows bootloader may be damaged. After you turn on your computer and it passes the BIOS bootup, but you don't see the Windows loading logo. Instead you receive a blank screen.

  1. Boot the computer using the Windows installation CD.
  2. Hit R to start the Recovery Console.
  3. Choose the correct install of Windows to work with.
  4. Type in the Administrator password.
  5. At the command prompt type in FIXBOOT.
  6. Hit Y to confirm you want to write a new bootloader.
  7. Type exit to restart the computer. The Windows XP logo should appear during loading. If not then you've got another problem.

NTFS.SYS is missing or corrupt

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822800

  1. Boot into the recovery console using a Windows install CD.
  2. cd \windows\system32\drivers
  3. Rename the original ntfs.sys file to ntfs.old with ren ntfs.sys ntfs.old
  4. Copy the ntfs.sys from the CD to your primary hard drive with copy cd-drive:\i386\ntfs.sys drive:\windows\system32\drivers\ where cd-drive is the assigned letter of the CD drive and drive is the assigned letter for your hard drive.

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545

  1. Boot into the Recovery Console using a Windows XP installation CD.
  2. Copy the SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, SAM, SECURITY, DEFAULT files from to a temporary directory and give them the .BAK file extension (e.g. %systemroot%\tmp\system.bak)
  3. Delete the original files in the %systemroot%\system32\config\.
  4. Copy the 5 similarly-named files from %systemroot%\repair\ to %systemroot%\system32\config\
  5. Exit the recovery console to reboot the computer.
  6. Let Windows start normally.
  7. Reboot the computer after logging in.
  8. Use the F8 key to boot into Safe Mode and log in as the Administrator.
  9. Start Windows Explorer and look for the System Volume Information folder. If you cannot find it you'll need to change the folder view options. Go to Tools -> Folder Options then hit the View tab. Remove checkmarks next to Hide protected operating system files and Use simple file sharing. Activate Show hidden files and folders.
  10. You're probably using the NTFS file system. Right-click on the System Volume Information folder. Click on Properties then on the Security tab. Hit the Add button. Type your user name in the empty box then click on Check Names. Hit OK after confirming the name is correct. Your name should appear in the Groups or user names box. Click on it then place a checkmark next to Full Control in the Permissions for box.
  11. Open one of the _restore{GUID} directories in the System Volume Information directory. Locate an RPx directory that is not dated with the current date.
  12. Inside this directory will be a snapshot directory. Copy the _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM, _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM files to %systemroot%\tmp\.
  13. Rename the files you just copied into the %systemroot%\tmp folder to .
  14. Reboot the computer and go back into the Recovery Console.
  15. Delete the DEFAULT, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, SYSTEM, SAM files from %systemroot%\system32\config\ directory.
  16. Copy the saved files (DEFAULT, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, SYSTEM, SAM) from %systemroot%\tmp\ to %systemroot%\system32\config\.
  17. Type exit to reboot normally.
  18. Run the System Restore program located in START -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore

low virtual memory

Virtual memory is space on your hard drive (page file) that is used when Windows and other programs eat up all the physical memory (RAM) in your computer. Virtual memory is much slower than physical memory. Physical memory is just electricity passing through computer chips versus the vinyl record player-like mechanical motions of the hard drive.

How much memory is being used?

To find out how much memory is being used you can bring up the Windows Task Manager and watch the Performance section.

  1. On your keyboard use the key combo of CTRL-SHIFT-ESC.
  2. Click on the Performance folder tab.
  3. Look at the bottom-left where it reads Commit Charge. The numbers are measurements in kilobytes. If you want this number in megabytes then divide the number by 1024.
    Total
    The combined total of physical memory and virtual memory currently being used. This will go up and down with each passing second.
    Limit
    The combined total of physical memory and virtual memory available to be used. You can't go any higher than this unless you change the size of the page file or add physical memory.
    Peak
    The most amount of physical and virtual memory used at any point since starting Windows. Think of it as the current high score you've set for using memory.
  4. Physical Memory shows you how much of the installed physical memory you've used.
    Total
    Available

how Microsoft determines the page file size

Find out the amount of physical memory installed in the computer. Multiply that number by 1.5 for the Initial size and multiply by 3 for the Maximum size.
As an example, pretend your computer has 512MB of physical RAM. Here's how to figure out the Initial and Maximum size of the page file
Initial size: 512 × 1.5 = 768
Maximum size: 512 × 3 = 1536

change the page file size

  1. Go into the System Properties by right-clicking on the My Computer icon on the desktop and left-clicking Properties. If you don't see the My Computer icon then click on START, then Control Panel, and open System.
  2. Click on the Advanced folder tab along the top of the System Properties window.
  3. In the Performance box press the Settings button.
  4. Along the top of the Performance Options window press the Advanced folder tab.
  5. Near the bottom of the window you will see a Virtual Memory box. Press the Change button.
  6. Click on Custom Size. In the box for Initial size type in the result of your memory multiplied by 1.5 and the memory multiplied by 3 for Maximum size . Make sure to press the Set button after typing in the new info.
  7. OK button your way back out and you're done.

adminstrators do not have administative privledges

  1. Download Doug Knox's Windows XP Security Console.
  2. Go through the category (left window pane) and place checkmarks in each option.
  3. Press the Apply button.
  4. Remove the checkmarks in each.
  5. Press the Apply button.
  6. Move onto the next category and repeat the previous 4 steps. Do this for each category.
  7. Reboot Windows XP. Administrator privledges should return.

CHKDSK activates during every boot

  1. Click on the START button then on Run....
  2. Type in cmd and press the Enter key on the keyboard
  3. Type in fsutil dirty query followed by the drive letter ( e.g. fsutil dirty query D: )
  4. Type CHKNTFS /X followed by the drive letter. This will tell Windows to not check the drive on the next reboot.
  5. Reboot the computer. The disk check should not run.
  6. Open the command prompt window again from the first two steps.
  7. Type in CHKDSK /F /R followed by the drive letter. This will force an extended disk check on the drive which should clear the dirty flag.
  8. Type fsutil dirty query followed by the drive letter. The result should report the drive is not dirty.

unable to change desktop background

If you attempt to change the dektop background/wallpaper but everything is greyed out or unclickable then you may have been affected by malware. Here is how to reset the ability to change your wallpaper.

Download the registry edit from Kelly's Korner

"access denied" to a shared printer with Windows Vista

If you're attempting to connect to a printer being shared on your network, but you receive an access denied message during the connection phase then try this:

  1. Go into the Control Panel and open Printers.
  2. Click on Add a printer at the top of the printer listing window.
  3. Choose Add a local printer.
  4. Select Create a new port and choose Local Port. Click the Next button.
  5. For Enter a port name type in the address of the computer and printer in the form of \\computer_name\printer_name.
  6. The next steps ask you to identify the printer so Windows Vista can install the proper drivers for it. If you can't find the printer listed then you will have to install the drivers yourself.

how to repair the Winsock and TCP/IP

Sometimes in Windows the networking gets screwed up. This is usually by malware. If you've cleaned out an infection and still have problems like being unable to renew your IP address or a "Page cannot be displayed" error in a Web browser then the Windows Socket API may be messed up. The Windows Socket API (or Winsock for short) tells Windows network software how to communicate with network services.

Bring up a command line prompt and type in netsh winsock reset. This will reset the Windows Sockets API. To reset TCP/IP settings to default type netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt. This will rewrite the registry keys related to TCP/IP and write output to a text file named resetlog.txt.

drive set to PIO mode instead of DMA

If the computer is slow it may be possible that the access mode for the hard drive is set for PIO (Primary Input Output) instead of DMA (Direct Memory Access). You can find this setting when looking at the Advanced Settings tab of the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers in the Windows Device Manager (devmgmt.msc).

  1. In Windows click on the START button then select Run....
  2. Type in regedit.
  3. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
  4. Look at the subkeys labeled 0000, 0001, 0002. Check the value of DriverDesc to locate the proper IDE channel.
  5. Delete either MasterIdDataChecksum or SlaveIdDataChecksum depending upon which you're trying to reset. Deleting both is OK if you're not sure.
  6. Close the Registry Editor and reboot the computer. This should redetect DMA mode for the drive.

CD or DVD drive not detected properly

If your CD or DVD drive is showing in the Device Manager with a yellow exclamation point next to it, you may need to fix something in the registry.

  1. Start REGEDIT
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
  3. Delete the upper and lower filters.
  4. Reboot the computer.

In Windows Vista you receive the error "Failed to connect to a Windows service: Could not connect to System Event Notification Service."

  1. Click on START then All Programs then Accessories.
  2. Right-click on Command Prompt and Run As Administrator.
  3. Type in NETSH WINSOCK RESET CATALOG
  4. Reboot the computer when asked.

repair the Master Boot Record (MBR) or boot sector for Windows Vista or 7

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows

Completely rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

  1. bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
  2. c:
  3. cd boot
  4. attrib bcd -s -h -r
  5. ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
  6. bootrec /RebuildBcd

AutoRun not working in Windows XP

How to disable the Autorun functionality in Windows

  1. Run regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\
  2. Export the Explorer key by right-clicking and choosing Export. Save it somewhere familiar with a reasonable name (e.g. the current date)
  3. If you see it, delete NoDriveTypeAutorun on the right.
  4. Right-click in the right pane and choose New then DWORD Value.
  5. Name the value HonorAutoRunSetting.
  6. Set the value data in hexadecimal as 1.

Windows Update is not working

You receive a "Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page" error message when you try to install an update

First check the services to make sure AutoUpdate and Background Intelligent Transfer are listed.

If the Automatic Updates service is missing, copy and paste the following into a Run window.
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\au.inf

If the Background Intelligent Transfer Service is missing, copy and paste the following into a Run window.
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\qmgr.inf

If either prompts to insert your operating system CD, type the following path in the "Copy files from" box, and then click OK:
%windir%\ServicePackFiles\i386

User Profile Service service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded.

Windows Vista Forums

Windows XP firewall is missing

You cannot start the Windows Firewall service in Windows XP SP2

At the command prompt type Rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection Ndi-Steelhead 132 %windir%\inf\netrass.inf and press Enter. Restart Windows.

Microsoft Office: The file (filename.xls) may have been changed by another user since you last saved it. In that case, what do you want to do?

Start regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Options. Create a new DWORD Value named QFE_Saskatchewan. Modify and set value to 2 to flush the time stamp cache before obtaining the time stamp. 1 will disable the time stamp check and suppress the dialogue.

You receive a "The file may have been changed" error message when you save a workbook to a network server in Excel 2002 or in Excel 2003

When searching for available updates on the Windows update site you receive the 0x800B0001 error.

Error code when you try to use Windows Update or Microsoft Update to install updates: "0x800B0001"

Another symptom is when you attempt to access an HTTPS site using Internet Explorer, it will not load. It may load in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Certain download installers like Ninite may also fail.

For Windows XP, run each of the following at the command line
regsvr32 Softpub.dll /s
regsvr32 Wintrust.dll /s
regsvr32 Initpki.dll /s
regsvr32 Mssip32.dll /s
For Windows Vista, run the following on the command line as an administrator
regsvr32 Wintrust.dll /s

Using MSN Premium, you receive a file association error related to MSN7.mailhost

  1. Log out of MSN Premium.
  2. Click on the START button.
  3. Select Run.
  4. In the dialogue box type regsvr32 c:\progra~1\msn\msncorefiles\mailui.dll. After hitting Enter you should receive a message that the mailui.dll was registered.
  5. Log into MSN Premium.

Windows 7: after an infection the firewall does not work

Microsoft Technet forums: Windows Firewall damaged by Windows 7 Antivirus 2012
Windows Seven Forums: Unable to start Windows Firewall

MSMAPI error with Outlook 2003

  1. Start Windows Explorer.
  2. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033
  3. Rename MSMAPI32.DLL to MSMAPI32.old or MSMAPI32.tmp
  4. Try launching Outlook again. If you still receive the error then move to the next step.
  5. Click START, SETTINGS, Control Panel.
  6. Click ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS
  7. Scroll down to locate MICROSOFT OFFICE PROFESSIONAL EDITION 2003 and click to select.
  8. Press the CHANGE button. DO NOT press REMOVE.
  9. When asked, choose to REPAIR office.
  10. After repairs finish try launching Outlook again. If it gives the MAPI error, follow steps 1 through 4 to rename the MSMAPI32.DLL.

The dependency service or group failed to start.

Networking may not work along with sound or many other services. Run MSCONFIG and make sure it is set to normal start.

PresentationFontCache.exe is using over 50% CPU in Windows 7

  1. Open a command prompt.
  2. CD C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\
  3. DEL Font*.dat
  4. Reboot the computer.

Change start mode of services from the registry

  1. Run regedit
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services and find the service to change listed in the subfolders
  3. For the Start DWORD, change the number to 2 for automatic, 3 for manual, 4 for disabled

proxy is set and is greyed-out in the Internet Control Panel

  1. Run regedit
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
  3. Change the value of ProxySettingsPerUser from 0 to 1.