One Tip A Day » Microsoft

Fix Windows 7 Blue Screen Of Death

Tony Williams — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:01:51 +0000

Many Windows 7 users have been confronted with a blank black screen since a Microsoft security update last month. The ‘Windows 7 Black Screen of Death‘ or BSOD is also affecting some Windows XP and Windows Vista users.

To fix the Windows 7 BSOD:

Restart your PC
Logon and wait for the black screen to appear
Make sure your PC should be able to connect to the internet (black screen does not appear to affect this)
Press the CTRL, ALT and DEL keys simultaneously
When prompted, Click Start Task Manager
In Task Manager Click on the Application Tab
Next Click New Task
Now enter the command: ”C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe” “http://info.prevx.com/download.asp?GRAB=BLACKSCREENFIX”

Note this command assumes that you are using internet explorer as your browser, if not substitute your browser path and file details for those of iexplore.exe or use the Browser option of Task manager to locate it.

Click OK and your browser should start up and begin the download process
When prompted for the download Click run, the black screen fix program will download and run to automatically fix the issue.
Now restart your PC and the black screen problem will hopefully be gone.

If the fix above for the windows 7 BSOD doesn’t work for you then you can get more Windows 7 Help here. Thanks to Windows 7 News & Tips for the fix.

How to play Flv format files in Windows Media Player

Umar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:47:03 +0000

In this day and age, the most common software found on any Windows PC will most probably be doing double duties by playing host to a myriad of plugins. However this is one area where Microsoft’s Windows Media Player sorely lacks, which is surprising since its one of the most widely used media player software in the world!

Microsoft have provided a few plugins over the years but these are few and far between, and so in order to show some add-on love to WMP, PlayFLV takes center stage.

In contrast to the player that it’s designed for, PlayFLV is a free and open source plugin that allows WMP to playback FLash Video files (FLV). Unless you’ve been living underneath your sofa, you’ll know that FLV is the most popular video format out on the web right now.

Its the technology that drives Google Videos/YouTube and any other media site out there, in order to get such files isn’t a hassle (websites like keepvid.com help) however playing them always required you to get an external player because WMP doesn’t support the format by default. Downloading a sperate player make sense if you intend to use it over a long term, but would be overkill if you just needed to view one FLV file.

PlayFLV shines in that regard, almost All Windows PC come pre installed with windows media player, in order to view that one file all you need to do is download the extremely tiny plugin (~300kb) install it and you’re done! The plugin automatically associates itself with the FLV extension and by default you get all the functions you’re used to in WMP (zooming, seeking, switching between fullscreen etc.)

Pre-Order Windows 7 Today And Save Up To $100

Tony Williams — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:15:35 +0000

Windows 7 will be the next version of Microsoft’s OS, which will replace Windows Vista. Many users have been using various test builds of it, and the feedback has been excellent and Windows 7 could be Microsoft’s finest release yet.

Although Windows 7 won’t be available to Buy Windows 7 until October 22nd, you can now Pre-order Windows 7 and save money at the same time. From tomorrow you will be able to pre-order Windows 7 in certain stores and save up to $100. To find which stores are taking Windows 7 Pre-orders then head on over to Windows 7 News, where you’ll also find the latest news about Windows 7.

More: Windows 7 News

Windows Home Server Add-In List

Tony Williams — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:51:46 +0000

Although it’s still early days for Windows Home Server, it’s showing a lot of promise. If you haven’t come across Windows Home Server yet, it’s a new Operating System that you can install on a low-spec machine which allows it to act as a server for your files, a Remote Access solution and a way to backup all the PCs in your home network.

Windows Home Server can be expanded very easily through add-ins that have been developed by third parties. If you are looking for a great list of Windows Home Server add-ins then check out We Got Served’s Windows Home Server Add-Ins List, which is the most comprehensive I have seen.

If you just want to learn more about Windows Home Server, then check out this review.

Don’t Buy A HD-DVD Player

Tony Williams — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:18:12 +0000

I’ve been sitting on the fence during the Blu-Ray Vs HD-DVD battle, but I’ve just become a fully paid up member of the Blu-Ray camp. Why? Because Microsoft have stopped selling the HD-DVD player, joining the host of companies that have either given their support to Blu-Ray, or have withdrawn their support from HD-DVD.

If you do risk buying a HD-DVD, you could end up with a player, but nothing to play on it!

10 Tips To Improve Your Wireless Network

Tony Williams — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 23:36:20 +0000

Many broadband users now have a wireless router, and have at some point encountered problems with weak wireless signals.

Although most routers can provide a decent enough signal for general browsing, but if you are doing big downloads or transferring files between machines or streaming video to a TV then poor wireless signals can be a real pain. You could even end up with dead spots within your home.

Microsoft, yes Microsoft, have put together a great guide on how you can improve your wireless network. It’s a really well thought and clear guide and well worth reading even if you think your current wireless network is performing adequately.

More: 10 Tips For Improving Your Wireless Network

Important Vista Patches Now Available For Download

Tony Williams — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:53:16 +0000

If you are a Windows Vista user then you should download ASAP the new Vista patches that have just been released, both for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista.

Two patches have been released:

Installing the patches will help improve Vista compatibility and will also improve performance.

Download Fix For Windows Vista iPod Problems

Tony Williams — Tue, 08 May 2007 22:21:07 +0000

Microsoft have just released a fix for the only remaining problem I have with Windows Vista, which is the problems using an iPod, which can corrupt your iPod if you disconnect it incorrectly.

This problem may occur if you use one of the following methods to disconnect the iPod:

You use the Safely Remove Hardware feature in the notification area to disconnect the iPod. Then, you disconnect the USB cable.
You use the Eject command in Windows Explorer to disconnect the iPod. Then, you disconnect the USB cable.

To fix this problem using an iPod with Vista, download this file if you are using Windows Vista 32bit and this file if you are using Windows Vista 64bit.

Why You Should Buy a DirectX10 Graphics Card

Tony Williams — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:13:49 +0000

If you’re a big PC gamer then you really should consider upgrading to a DirectX10 Graphics Card. Rather than baffling you with performance figures, I’m just going to post these pictures that highlight the vast difference between DirectX9 and and DirectX10.

Microsoft Flight Simulator in DirectX9

Microsoft Flight Simulator in DirectX10

Age Of Conan DirectX9

Age Of Conan DirectX10

If you need more prrof then look at these shots from the upcoming DirectX10 game Crysis and the real-life places they are based on (on the left). Absolutely awesome!

Thanks to TigerDirect for the pictures.

Windows Media Player Plugin For Firefox

Tony Williams — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 10:28:03 +0000

The popularity of the internet browser Firefox continues to grow by the day, but it still has a few annoying quirks. One of these is that it can be difficult to watch Windows Media Player videos within Firefox.

Luckily, thanks to Port 25, who are the team at Microsoft who look after interoperability, there’s a new Windows Media Player Plugin for Firefox. Once installed this plugin will improve support for embedded Windows Media Player videos.

I haven’t installed it myself as there are issues (as always!) with Vista, which I now have running on all my machines. But, it is good to go for all other operating systems.

More: Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin

How to enable the DVD Library in Windows Vista Media Center

Tony Williams — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:59:34 +0000

Iv’e spent a lot of time copying my DVD library to my computer’s Hard Disk to protect my disks and to save having to swap them around everytime I want to watch them. In Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, DVD content that was stored on the hard disk automatically appeared in the My Videos folder, but it didn’t in Windows Vista.

I’ve finally worked out how to get my DVD Library to appear under Windows Vista Media Center and it involves a quick registry change to enable the ‘DVD Gallery’ feature that Microsoft have disabled in the default settings.

Warning: Remember all registry changes are made at your own risk.

Exit Windows Media Center if it is running.
Click StartStart button, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\DvdSettings

In the results pane, right-click ShowGallery, and then click Modify.
Delete the contents that appear in the Value data box, type Gallery in the Value data box, and then click OK.
Exit Registry Editor

Now all of your DVD titles should appear in the new Vista DVD Gallery, providing easy access.

Save Up To $180 On Windows Vista

Tony Williams — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:05:18 +0000

Let’s face it, upgrading to Windows Vista is too expensive for most of us mere mortals, with the top-of-the-range Vista Ultimate weighing in at a whopping $379. For that kind of money you can buy an 80GB iPod.

Luckily there is a cheaper way to get your hands on a copy of Windows Vista that is totally legit. Microsoft sell what they call System Builder versions of Vista that are aimed at PC manufacturers, and also at people who are building their own PCs. The sweet part is you don’t need to actually build a PC to get your hands on a System Builder copy, which could save you between $100 and $180 depending on which version of Vista you plump for.

Where’s the catch? Well, you don’t get a manual and you won’t receive any support from Microsoft. I don’t think this is a bad thing because if you do get into a muddle there are thousands of forums where one post will get you access to better technical support than you would probably get from Microsoft!

To learn more about System Builder packages click here.

Sync Google Calendar With Microsoft Outlook

Tony Williams — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:18:47 +0000

I’m starting to use Google products more and more by the day. The latest two I’ve started using are Google Calendar and Google Spreadsheet. Unfortunately, my company still insists on using Outlook, but luckily I’ve discovered which adds a ISyncMyCaltoolbar to Microsoft Outlook that provides two-way syncing between Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar.

SyncMyCal also manages multiple calendars and recurring events. The free version only handles 7 days in advance which is fine for most people. If this isn’t enough then the PRO version only cost $25, which I think is good value

More: SyncMyCal

Convert YouTube Videos In One Click

Tony Williams — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 20:34:18 +0000

Youtube is fast becoming one of the best and most exciting sources of content. There are so many videos, you can quite easily spend hours watching videos.

Downloading them isn’t as easy though. There are several tools available to download videos but they tend to be quite clunky, and also use the flv file format that isn’t the easiest to play.

Downloadsquad.com have unearthed Zunemytube which is a plugin for Internet Explorer. when you find a video you like on YouTube, Google Video or MSN Soapbox, all you have to do is click the “Zune It” and the file will do downloaded and converted into a windows media video file.

More: Zunemytube

Trying To Kill 5 Mins? Use StumbleUpon

Tony Williams — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:01:19 +0000

if you’re trying to kill 5 mins online and you’re bored of watching mindless YouTube videos, then maybe you should try StumbleUpon, a free browser plug-in that’s like a Web-concierge version of del.icio.us.After installing the plug-in, which adds a toolbar to your browser, you choose one or more topics of interest: astronomy, politics, television, and so on. Click the Stumble! button and you’re instantly delivered to a related site that others have given the thumbs-up. Likewise, when you “stumble upon” a site you like, click the “I like it” button to share the page with others.

More: StumbleUpon

Free Up PC Memory By Disabling Indexing Services

Tony Williams — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:39:39 +0000

Indexing Services is a small little program that uses large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists.

If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary.

To disable do the following:

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

How To Put Outlook Notes On Your Desktop

Tony Williams — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 21:21:33 +0000

I often use the Microsoft Outlook Notes to store To-Do lists that are not related to work. I discovered this great tip a few months which allows me to put my notes on my desktop, and I love it as it means I can access my notes without having to open up Outlook.

To create a note in Outlook:

1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Note.
2. Type the text of the note.
3. To close the note, click the × in the upper-right corner of the note.

Then to put the notes on your desktop do the following:

1. Right-click the desktop, point to New, and click Shortcut.
2. In the Type the location of the item box, type the following path: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OUTLOOK.EXE” /c ipm.stickynote
3. Click Next, name the shortcut, and then click Finish.

Now, when you double-click the shortcut, an Outlook note will appear on your desktop.

How To Capture Screenshots From Windows Media Player

Tony Williams — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 14:35:02 +0000

Whatever you may think about Microsoft, they do make some good software. One of their best is Windows Media Player which is free and is installed on all Windows PCs. Capturing screenshots from your favorite videos can be difficult, but here’s a quick way to do it:

Open Window Media Player
Then go to ‘Tools | Options’
In Options, select the Performance Tab
Click the Advanced Button
Untick ‘Use Overlays’
Click ‘Ok’

Once you’ve finished these steps all you have to do to capture a screenshot is to pause your video, and press the ‘Print Screen’ key on your keyboard. Then go to your favorite image program and paste the image or press ‘Ctrl’ and ‘V’ together.

How To Improve Your Swapfile Performance

Tony Williams — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:13:43 +0000

If you have more than 256MB of RAM on your PC this tweak will considerably improve your performance. What it does is tell your PC to use every last drop of RAM before using the swap file, which is slower than real RAM.

To enable this tweak is easy. Just follow the steps below:

Go to Start then Run
Type ‘msconfig.exe’ then click ‘ok’
Click on the System.ini tab
Expand the 386enh tab by clicking on the plus sign
Click on new then in the blank box type ‘ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1′
Click ‘OK’
Then restart your PC

Once you’ve restarted your PC will have much better memory management.