Diagnose Blue Screen of death Messages in XP

The blue screen of death(BSOD) is a quite shocking display image containing white text on a blue background that is generated by Windows operating systems when the system has rapidly terminated with an error. The system is locked up and should be restarted. The blue screen may include some hexadecimal values from a core dump that may help determine what caused the crash. The Blue Screen of Death appears when an error in the Windows kernel (the core) and the system has failed to recover. Often this is caused by corrupt software, low virtual memory(If you want to increase your virtual memory you can take help from my previous post Steps to Increase the Virtual Memory in Windows XP), hardware problem or corrupt hardware drivers.

Commonly, your system screen will turn blue with numerous lines of white text and then automatically restart. These lines of text actually tell you what is causing the BSOD error. Unfortunately, the screen only appears for just about one second. In order to diagnose the problem, you will have to find another way to view the screen at length.

Steps to Diagnose Blue Screen of death Messages in XP:-

1. Right-click on My Computer
2. Then select Properties.
3. After that click on Advanced System Settings button.
4. Then click on Settings under the Startup and Recovery option.
5. Check the box next to Write an event to the system log and check the box next to Automatically restart. Most likely, these boxes will already be checked.
6. Click on the BlueScreenView v1.00 link below.
7. Then click on Download BlueScreenView (in Zip file).
8. Then, select Open With option.
9. This will open the BlueScreenView window.
10. Click on the first file in the upper pane of the BlueScreenView window. The file will read something similar to Mini072409-01.dmp. Once you click on the file, a lower pane will open with several lines of text.
11. Search the lower pane until you find where it says The problem seems to be caused by the following file. This sentence will be followed by the name of the file or drive that is causing the blue screen error message. Generally, the problem can be fixed by reinstalling or updating this file or drive.
12. Repeat the two previous steps for every file listed in the BlueScreenView window.

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Fix Blue Screen of Death Error in Windows Vista

Windows users often experience a blue screen error with white text on it after installing new hardware/program or due to faulty driver issue. The blue screen, also called as Blue Screen of Death, is a STOP error screen that appears when Windows finds that there is a fatal error it cannot recover from and starts rebooting, causing data loss or system crash etc.

With the launch of Windows Vista, a successor to Windows XP, many users might have paid their last tribute (despite the fact that they were sick to bones whenever the problem occurred) to BSOD error thinking they would never face it again. But it seems like Microsoft has not had a chance to work out the operating system error well other than the fact that it has been improved slightly. Now BSOD error is mostly caused by software slagheap in Windows Vista but still there is no escape from system crash problem.

Common reasons of BSOD error:-

The BSOD error can occur due to several reasons including running multiple programs at a time; Windows registry errors; wrong/inappropriate installation of hardware/software; faulty RAM stick; virus infection; and faulty/poorly- written driver(s) among other miscellaneous problems.

Note:- Before following the steps below, I do not recommend you doing this unless you are comfortable editing the Windows Settings. I will not responsible for any damage that may be caused to your PC after editing the settings by following the steps below. You proceed at your own risk or may take help from Microsoft Certified Technician

Procedure to Fix Blue Screen of Death Error:-

Reboot the PC; it is the simplest method to fix the problem unless there is a severe issue.

If you lately installed a new hardware (such as audio/video driver, printer etc.), remove it and then reboot the PC. For new software, reboot PC in ‘Safe Mode’ and uninstall it. To access ‘Safe Mode’, you need to start and continuously tap the ‘F8’ key on the keyboard while the Windows is rebooting (start tapping the key before the Windows logo appears).

If your PC has low RAM, then open fewer programs at a time or add more RAM to your PC.

Replace the faulty/dead RAM with a new one.

Windows registry is a database that stores all the data related to hardware/software configurations. If your registry has a problem, you might don’t know if it actually has a problem, run registry repair tool to scan and fix registry error problems. Whenever, you uninstall any program from your PC, do remember to clean its registry entries from the registry editor.

Replace the faulty driver, and always install latest and compatible drivers from your vendor or publisher’s website.

Update your antivirus, and run a full scan to check if your PC has not caught virus infection. If the scan brings up any malicious items, remove them. You don’t have to remove viruses manually because your antivirus program will automatically do that. You can look for the details of the deleted items in history or whatever the option is there.

Always check that you don’t have too many security programs running on your PC as it may result into software conflict and ultimately the BSOD error. For example, you have Microsoft Security Essentials as well as a firewall program like Zone Alarm from Check Point installed on your PC. You will have to remove either of the programs for smooth functioning of your PC.

Or click on ‘Start’ menu, click on ‘Run’, when the windows appears, type ‘compmgmt.msc’ (without quotes) in the ‘Run’ window, click on ‘OK’ or hit ‘Enter’ on the keyboard.

This open up the ‘Computer Management’ utility window, click ‘Event Viewer’ option in ‘System Tools’ and wait for the window to be populated with log entries.

Under ‘Summary of Administrative Events’ tab, click on ‘+” (the plus sign) to spread out the categories and search for the current/recent errors when the BSOD occurred. There would be to important categories to look for ‘Error’ and ‘Critical’.

Check the entries and double click on them to find the related information about the errors and their solution.

The above mentioned instructions should help you get rid of BSOD problem at ease. However, if you face any problem, you can call online technical support service to help you fix this at the comfort of your home. The article is entirely focused on making you aware of the BSOD error, possible causes and self-help options.

The post ‘Fix Blue Screen of Death Error in Windows Vista’ is associated with www.vtechsquad.com. V-Tech Squad, Inc. is the leading third-party service provider of certified online technical support services. You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201 For US/CA.

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Steps to Increase the Virtual Memory in Windows XP

We always face the problem with the windows showing the message Virtual Memory low. To get rid of this message as well as making your system to go smooth and faster, use given below tips for increasing the virtual memory of the system.

According to Microsoft Windows, virtual memory is the arrangement of RAM(random access memory) and hard drive space that enables a system to process information in a method that maximizes the performance in which the system operates, In other words Virtual memory is the use of space on a hard disk drive (HDD) to simulate additional main memory.

Simple steps to increase your systems virtual memory in windows XP:-

1. Click on start button.
2. Then go to control panel.
3. In Control Panel window click on System Icon.
4. Then click on System Properties after that click on the Advanced.
5. Under advanced go to Performance option then click on the Settings button.
6. Then you will see the option of Virtual Memory.
7. Then click on the Change button under that option.
8. In Virtual Memory window you will see your drive with Paging File Size (MB) allocated, in my case it was 372-744.
9. Then click on Custom Size open and enter the Initial Size as well as Maximum Size.
10. Now the Initial Size and Maximum Size value should be same.
11. Now click on set button then click OK.
12. Then restart your computer to take effect.

Note:-

* To get the best value you should multiply your system RAM with 1.5 times and put the value in the Initial Size as well as Maximum Size columns.

* If you are the user of windows 7 and facing the problem of slow performance, you can take help from my previous post Make Windows 7 Faster

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How To Improve Windows Performance

Windows 7 looks vast and performs much better than Vista and Windows Xp. If you have an old system, Windows 7 can not be as responsive as you would like. There are many causes for the slow down and there are many of the ways to Make Windows 7 Faster(suggested by me in my previous post). In Windows 7, there are tools to help you to improve the performance. Performance Information and Tools, the Windows Experience Index, and Ready Boost are the tools that can help improve the performance of your system.

Below are some of the tips that can help to improve your computer performance:-

1. Free Disk Space
Launch "Disk Cleanup" to clear the hard drive of old or unnecessary files.

• Click on Start,
• Then click on All Programs, then Accessories,
• Then, click on System tools, and used Disk Cleanup,
• Select the files to be erased by clicking the check box next to each item,
• After that click OK

2. Defragment the Hard Disk
Open "Disk Defragmenter" to fragmented files and folders. When these items are fragmented, the computer's performance is slowed. This takes some time to complete, but can run in the background.

• Click on Start,
• Then click on All Programs, then Accessories,
• Click System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter,
• Select the drives to be defragmented,
• After that click on defragment disk to continue.

3. Run Error Check
Ensure the integrity of files and drives by running the Error Checking application. Close all open files.

• Click Start,
• Then click on My Computer
• Then Right click the hard disk
• Then click on Properties,
• Then select Tools, after that click on Check Now.
• Then click on "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors"
• After that click on start to continue.

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Make Windows 7 look like XP

Windows 7 is a great new operating system, but some people may not be comfortable with the new interface or the task bar (Speak to a Tech at Vtechsquad). Quickly and simply configure windows 7 to look like Windows XP.

Windows 7 is faster than Windows XP and it's got a great new user interface that most technicians love. If you don't like the efficient new interface of Windows 7, you might feel that you are out of luck. However, there are a few ways to remedy that situation.

Here's a quick guide to making Windows 7 look and act a bit more like Windows XP.

1. Changing The Taskbar : –

One of the biggest changes to the look is Windows 7 ‘Taskbar’. It looks cool to us, but it's definitely very different from the artistic of Windows XP.
 

Simple steps to changing taskbar:-

1. Right click on the Taskbar.
2. Then go to Properties
3. Then go to setting
4. Then change the setting marked Taskbar Buttons to Never Combine.

This will make the Taskbar more like as the Windows XP designs that we are all familiar with windows XP. You also need to choose "small icons", and right click each icon to "Unpin" it from the taskbar. If you want to change it back, just reverse the steps.

2. Choosing the Windows Classic Theme: –

As per my experience enabling a classic theme, you will truly get Windows XP.

Steps to choose Windows classic theme

1. Right click on a clean area of the desktop
2. Then go to Personalize
3. After that under Themes, choose the 'Windows Classic theme'
4. Then click on ‘Apply’ then ‘Ok’

This makes your theme and folders look like they did in Windows XP. Folders will show up more usually, as will icons on the taskbar. There are still some big differences from Windows 7 and Windows XP, but this clears up most of the major ones.

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Microsoft Security Essentials rated as best free antivirus software

Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE) is a free antivirus software offered by Microsoft that provides protection against different types of malware, virus, spyware, rootkits and trojan horses for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Microsoft announced plans for a free consumer security Product, code named Morroon in 18 November 2008. Microsoft security Essentials is a great anti virus software. Microsoft Security Essentials has a real time scan and scheduled scanning option so it can updates all

the time automatically and it is so light you never even know its running. I like it because it doesn't use a lot of resources on your system.

In my experience, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) works best with Windows 7. Microsoft

Security Essentials is well designed and easy to use. Installation is simple (If you want to install MSE you can take help from my previous post Simple Steps to install Microsoft security essentials) and straightforward, although it will verify whether your copy of Windows is legit along the way. Performance wise, it ranks right up there with the best, when it comes to detecting

malware of any kind. It has scored high in virus detection tests conducted by many websites.

Hundreds of downloads and countless positive reviews of users on the software blogs all over the Internet. It's been quite a ride so far for Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE).

In AV Comparative's current report on malware removal, virus removal, spyware removal, Trojan horse removal Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE) was the only free antivirus rated Advanced+. That ranking placed it alongside big names like Norton, Kaspersky, and F-Secure. Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE) also beat out technician preferred ESET, which managed only an Advanced rating.

It's also worth noting that only three antivirus apps - Norton 2010, eScan, and Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE) - scored marks of better in removal of malware and removal of leftovers. So not only has Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE) beaten free competitors like AVG, Avira, and Avast, it also posted test scores superior than a dozen antivirus software programs you should have to pay for.

Note:- If you are facing problem with your computer, you can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201 For US/CA.

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How To Install Windows 7 On Mac

Get Windows 7 Installed and running on your Mac (Speak to a Tech at Vtechsquad) using Boot Camp in just a few quick steps by following our simple installation guide.

I have already shared the steps for the installation of windows 7 in my previous post "How to clean install windows 7". Now here we will deal with windows 7 installations on Mac OS X. Windows 7 is the one of the great operating system from Microsoft with lot of features and applications. Mac OS X comes with a utility, called Boot Camp, and designed for installing Windows as second operating system. Since many programs will not run under OS X, installing Windows 7 could save you the trouble of having to invest in a separate computer entirely.

Note:- It is not recommend to do this unless you are not comfortable editing the Windows Settings. 

Simple steps to install windows 7 on a MAC:-

1. Update Bootcamp to at least version 3.1. Previous versions do not support Windows 7. You can download the required update from Apple's official website.
2. Open Bootcamp through "Finder."
3. Then go to "Applications," then select "Utilities" and click on the program to continue.
4. Now we will partition hard disk space for Windows 7. (Maintain enough space for Mac OS X by setting Windows 7 partition in the range of 10-15-25giga byte)
5. Now click on to partition.
6. Boot camp icon will show on your OS X desktop, if partition was successful.
7. Now put your Windows 7 DVD in DVD drive and click on start installation to continue.
8. After that your Mac will restart with Windows 7 and will display all available partitions.
9. Now Select Boot camp partition and click on format.
10. After that Windows 7 starts installation automatically.
11. After that installation your Mac will restart. Remove your Windows 7 DVD exactly at this point. (Note:- For step by step installation process can take help from my previous post How to clean install windows 7.)
12. Now you will be booted into Windows 7 installation and here you can select language, time zone, display and many other properties.
13. After that insert Mac OS X DVD for installation of device drivers. Boot camp installer will launch and here select to install Apple software update for Windows.
14. Now connect to internet, download video card drivers or other missing drivers and Windows 7 updates.
15. Finally restart after complete installation.
16. Now select options key while on restart .You will see these multiple boot choices for OS X and Microsoft Windows 7.

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