Requirements to take advantage of Windows XP mode feature:

- The PC should be running with Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise edition.
- 2GB RAM and 10-15GB HD space for Virtual environment.
- As it utilizes CPU based virtualization technique the CPU should support it.
- For AMD based AMD-V and Intel based processor Intel-VT should be turned on in BIOS.
- The free download of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode available from Microsoft Download Center.

Microsoft has a detailed document on How to confirm your PC can run Windows XP Mode . Here you can find download of the processor test utility too.

Setting up Virtual XP or Windows XP Mode:

If your PC meets all the above requirements and you have downloaded the 2 set up files from Microsoft, first install the Windows Virtual PC and then install Windows XP Mode. At this stage you might be asked to restart the PC. Upon re start you can run Virtual XP from Start > All programs list. It will ask you to enter the password, in this window check the option Remember credentials (recommended). After this step is complete you will see a wndow that says setting up virtual Windows XP for first use. It may take some time so don’t loose patience.

Now what you will see is a screen like this:

Now you are ready with your Virtual XP set up. It’s time to install a couple of application you wish to run under Windows XP. One thing to remember here is that while installing any apps select All users whenever you are asked else the integration feature will not work properly.

The Windows XP mode has a special feature as compared to Virtual PC or other virtualization technology in which you have to run virtual environment as a separate application. In XP Mode once an application is instaleld in Virtual environment it is published to the host Windows 7 too. It means the application will be availble in Windows 7 start menu. So starting the application will Start the application in Windows 7 but in virtual environment where the virtual PC will be running in the background.

Final thought on Windows XP Mode feature:

It seems Microsoft is not aiming to woo the consumer home users with this feature as it is evident from the fact thatthis feature is available only in windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise edition. So do you think Windows 7 will still be a bete noir to consumers who are upset about Vista’s program compatibility? Only time will tell and we will get to know once Vista RTM is released.

The Blue Screen of Death, or simply BSOD, represents an error notoriously associated with Microsoft Windows operating systems. This error is more common on older versions of Windows such as 3.0 and 3.1, but also shows up on later versions such as Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, and even Vista. Although the Windows platform has come a long way in terms of stability and performance, the infamous Blue Screen of Death is still known to make an entrance from time to time. When this nuisance shows up, it often indicates that the system has a critical error.

Identifying the Blue Screen of Death

As the name implies, the Blue Screen of Death is characterized by a blue screen along with text and hexadecimal values that help to determine what caused the problem. When a BSOD occurs, the system is essentially shutting down to protect itself from a particular error. Unfortunately, it often leads to the loss of any data that was not saved before the computer crash occurred.

After encountering the Blue Screen of Death, your computer might automatically shut down or you may be forced to shut it down manually. Once this process is complete, the machine is rebooted and the system typically runs a diagnostics to retrieve data and determine what led to the error.

If you are bombarded with a BSOD error repeatedly, it could be a sign that your computer system is enduring serious problems. When this is the case, you may need to perform a re installation of the operating system or take various troubleshooting steps in order to pinpoint and resolve the issue. Some of these steps may need to be performed in Safe Mode, which provides a stripped down version of the Windows operating system and features an environment that lets you safely troubleshoot various issues.

Analyzing BSOD Codes

Unless you are a computer programmer, the data that is displayed on the blue screen will probably look like unfamiliar gibberish. However, this information is incredibly useful in solving your problems. These codes generally identify the error and its parameters among other details that could help you pinpoint the problem and keep it from occurring again. A knowledgeable computer user can access the information accompanying the Blue Screen of Death and quickly determine the root of the problem. Most of the time, they come to find that it has something to do with the kernel of the operating system, or a hardware device installed on the computer.

Inherent Problems with Computer Systems

Unless you started your computing with newer versions of XP or Vista, you have probably encountered the dreaded Blue Screen of Death with more frequency then you prefer. This is especially true for someone running a more unstable version of the system or one who has made significant modifications to the Windows environment. Although the Windows system has been known for the infamous blue screen and other deficiencies, it isn’t the only platform that endures critical errors. Both Mac OS X and Linux computers encounter similar problems known as Kernel Attacks.

Here I have selected the best of the themes and customization pack available for free. So feel free to download and use them.

Windows 7 theme for XP

This theme will no doubt convert your Windows XP machine into a Windows 7 machine. It has several features like:

The first theme with the correct Taskbar!!!
The first and the only one theme with the same caption and toolbar background image!!!
Got the show desktop button on the extreme left(though it doesn’t works)
The correct and one line systray icons.

Windows 7 theme for Vista

If there is a Windows 7 theme fr Windows XP how can Vista stay far behind. So here is the Windows 7 theme for Vista lovers.  This theme is alos packed with some nice features like:

Windows 7 orb.
Fully-transparent Visual Style.
Left pane with blue and green gradient effect similar to Windows 7.
Windows 7 looks like Shell style.
Taskbar changed similar to Windows 7 Super bar.

Windows 7 complete for Windows XP SP3

This theme replaces many system and dll files of Windows XP SP3 to give some special feature to Windows XP machine.

Windows 7 Theme for Sony Ericsson mobile

Windows 7 Theme for Windows Mobile

Features:

- Taskbar just like in 7 with presed function of the orb
- Start Panel with all functions
- Explorer with all functions (Properties, User folder, Explorer, Games, Control Panel)
- Gadgets just like in windows 7

Windows 7 font Gabriola

This font is specifically developed by Microsoft and it is available as a free font in Windows 7. It supports a wide variety of advanced open type functionality.

Windows 7 user32.dll for XP

user32.dll allows programs to implement a graphical user interface. It contains basic functions, such as window management, user input, text, etc. This hacked version of user32.dll will enable Windows XP machine to give user notification like in Windows 7.

Windows 7 icons pack

Biggest collection of Windows 7 icons pack for all other version of Windows. It contains more than 500 Windows 7 icons in png format. Another icon pack of Windows 7 build 6801 can be found here. If you are looking for Windows 7 build 6956 icons extracted from the build head over to here.

Windows 7 sound

Windows 7 has some cool sound effect, so if you want to replace the sound scheme of your existing windows version, download this pack. The sounds are in WAVE format and contain some extra midi sequence.

How to Backup Your Outlook .pst File

To backup the .pst file in its entirety, follow the steps below:

First close any running messaging applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Exchange or Windows Messaging.

- Open the “Start” menu and click “Run”.
- Next, type “Control Panel” in the Open box.
- When the Control Panel opens, click on the Classic view from left and double-click the “Mail” icon .
- Click “Show Profiles”.
- Select the appropriate profile and click “Properties”.
- From there, click on “Data Files”.
- Under “Name”, select the Personal Folders Service to back up.

Though it could be named something else, the default name for this service is Personal Folders. Keep in mind that if your profile has more than one Personal Folders Service, you will have to backup each set of .pst files individually.

Take note that if you do not find any entries called Personal Folders, or if you have not stored any items such as messages, appointments or contacts in Outlook, there is a great chance that your .pst file has yet to be created.

If there is no Personal Folders Services in your profile but you can store items like messages, appointments and contacts in Outlook, this data is probably being stored somewhere else, such as the mail box on the Yahoo or Exchange Server.

To continue with the Outlook pst backup, click on “Settings” and note the path and file name that is displayed. Since the .pst file typically contains all the data the Outlook client uses, this file tends to be very large. To reduce the Outlook pst file size, select “Settings” and click “Compact Now”.

To finish up, close down all the “Properties” windows.

You can use either My Computer or the Windows Explorer utility to copy the file path you noted above. The .pst file can then be copied to another location on your local hard drive or any form of removable storage media such as a floppy disk, compact disc or a portable hard drive.

Conclusion

Performing an Outlook .pst backup is a relatively easy task. The key is to know how to locate the file and thankfully there are many ways to go about this task. If you do not feel comfortable manually backing up your .pst file, rest assured that there are a variety of software tools that will automate the process and make it much easier.

error 25015. failed to install assembly.

c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v2.0.50727\microsoft.visualbasic.compatibility.dll’because of system error:0×80131107

This error will prevent you from installing .Net Framework whatever you do. But here is a very easy working solution to combat this error.

If you have downloaded .Net Framework from a 3rd party site, please delete that and download it from the Microsoft Download site.

Save this file on desktop.

Go to the location C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework and delete the folder V2.0.50727.

Start the installation of .Net Framework from the downloaded package saved on desktop.

This time installation will begin without any issue.

If you encounter this kind of error message while installing any other versions .Net Framework try deleting the specific folder to that version and check if that works.

Windows key + R = Run command box
Windows key + E = Windows Explorer
ALT + Tab = Switch between windows
ALT + Space + X = Maximize window
CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager
Windows key + Break = System properties
Windows key + F = Search
Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows
CTRL + C = copy
CTRL + X = cut
CTRL + V = paste
Alt + Esc = Switch between running applications(mnimized apps on task bar)
Alt + Underlined letter will Select menu item by underlined letter
Ctrl + Esc Open Start Menu
Ctrl + F4 or Alt + F4 Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)
Ctrl + Left and right arrow Move cursor forward or back one word
Ctrl + Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph
F1 Open Help for active application
Windows + M = Minimize all open windows
Shift + Windows + M = Undo minimize all open windows
Windows + F1 = Open Windows Help
Windows + Tab = Cycle through the Taskbar buttons (In vista invokes 3d-flip)
Windows + Break = Open the System Properties dialog box
SHIFT+DELETE = Deletes selected item permanently without sending to recycle bin.
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item will create a shortcut of it.
F2 = Rename selected item.
CTRL+A = Select All items
F3 = Search for a file or folder
ALT+ ENTER = Show the properties of the selected file/folder.
ALT+SPACEBAR = Opens the shortcut menu of Active window.
F4 in Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer will show the addressbar list.
CTRL+TAB = Move forward through tabs.
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB = Move backward through tabs.
TAB = Move forward through options
SHIFT+TAB = Move backward through options
Windows key+M = Minimizes all window
Windows key+U = Opens Utility manager
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
CTRL+UP ARROW= Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys = Will highlight a bloack of text.
SHIFT+ Any arrow key = Will select more than one item.

Some shortcuts for Windows Accessibility features:

Hold Right Shft key for 8 seconds to Invoke Filter keys settings window.
Tap on Shift key for 5 times will invoke Sticky keys settings window.
Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN……. Switch High Contrast on and off.
Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK……. Switch MouseKeys on and off.
Hold NUM LOCK key for five seconds will Switch ToggleKeys on and off.

Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). This IRQ should be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself. If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen.

It is possible to check if the PC has a hardware conflict by going to Device manager and we can alos check the IRQ for any device.

Click on Start >Settings>Control Panel>System>Device Manager or from Run command you can open it by

Start > Run and type devmgmt.msc and click on OK.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow ‘!’ appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as ‘IRQ holder for PCI steering’. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

The problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs. Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to ‘yes’ to allow Windows to do this.).

Bad RAM

A corrupt RAM (Random-Access Memory) might bring on the blue screen of death(BSOD) with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing a 533Mhz RAM with a 667MHz, will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

For this it is advisable to use RAM with similar speed and capacity. Most of the time resetting the RAM by removing it out of the slot will fix the issue.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

Hard disk drives

When we start using the hard drive due to large number of read and write operation the performance of the drive reduces and bad sectors are generated. Moreover when data is saved on hard drive they are saved in smaller chunks and spread as fragments throughout the drive. It gradually reduces the performance of the drive and PC freezes. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so.

Disk defragmentation can be accessed from System tools or from properties of any hard drive partition.

Go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter or

Start > My computer (Computer) > Right click on any partition > Properties > Tools > Defragment now

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. To check for disk errors and fix them you can go to

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > ScanDisk or

Start > My computer (Computer) > Right click on any partition > Properties > Tools > error checking

Microsoft Runtime Error 429

When encountering runtime error 429, you will be presented with a message that reads: “Active X component can’t create object.” This error is usually generated when you try to automate tasks within a Microsoft Office application, a problem that is common in Windows XP.

Runtime error 429 often occurs if the task you are trying to automate requires the use of the CreateObject or VB (Visual Basic) New operator function to create an Office instance. This Microsoft error might occur because one of the following situations:

• The application in question is not installed properly or contains corrupt files.

• Essential values in the registry are missing or corrupt.

• Template objects such as Excel.xlb and Normal.dot are corrupt.

To fix runtime error 429, you can try re-registering the application that is presenting the problems. For example, if Microsoft Word is the culprit, open the file prompt, navigate to the folder that contains the Word.exe file, run the word.exe\regserver command, and then click “OK.” If the template files are causing the issue, deleting those files and recreating them should solve the problem. Once you restart the application, the files will be recreated and the program should work fine.

Microsoft Runtime Error 339

Runtime error 339 typically occurs when the MCI32.OCX (or any of the related .OCX file)file or one of its dependent components is not properly registered. This type of error will give you a message that reads: “a file is missing or invalid.” By default, Vista is only shipped with the VB 6.0. files required to make it compatible with earlier versions of Windows and Office applications. For this reason, users who upgrade from XP to Vista may get runtime errors when trying to run applications that use MCI32.OCX files for the simple fact that they are not included on the Vista operating system.

The best way to fix runtime error 339 is to uninstall and reinstall the application that is prompting the MCI32.OCX errors. A registry cleaner may be required to make sure that no entries are left in the registry as a result of the un-installation. You may need to shutdown your OS and reboot too.

If the error still occurs, you can download the latest version of the MCI32.OCX file online, copy it to the system folder and run the “regsvr32.exe C:\windows\system32\MCI32.OCX” command to register it.

The Bottom Line on Microsoft Errors

Most runtime errors are the result of programming flaws that can’t be prevented on your part. On a good note, you can reduce their occurrence by keeping your operating system and applications fresh with the latest updates and patches available to address any errors that might be discovered.

For some of the most known runtime errors, Microsoft offers solutions directly on their website to solve the issue. Not only do these fixes help eliminate Windows errors, but they also improve the performance and security of your computer.

Generally this kind of issue happens if the disk in question is created by using a disk burning program and it is not finalized or closed after burning. While burning a write once dsk like a DVD+R or DVD-R, you have the option to keep the disk left open (appendable) or closed (non-appendable) at the end of recording. If you leave it open, you can add more data on the disk subsequently. However, keeping t open will cause many drives not to recognize the data on the disk properly and you will face difficulty in opening the files and PC will hang. This is what happening in the current scenario. For greater compatibility and to avoid such issues, it is always recommended to finalize(close) the disk at the end of burning session.

The following steps will help you in closing/finalizing the disk at the end of burning session (this example is based on Sonic Recordnow):

1. Launch Record Now.
2. Click on the preferences icon.
3. Click on “Data” in the left pane.
4. In the right pane, choose the option that reads: “I only need to use discs for one recording or want to prevent data being added to an existing disc.”

You will only be able to record to the DVD disc once, but the DVD disc will be compatible with a larger number of drives. This is a good choice if you typically fill your DVD discs during a single recording session or need to use a DVD disc on more than one computer.

NOTE: To leave your DVD disc open, choose the option that reads: “I would like to use discs for more than one recording.”

You will be able to record multiple times to a single disc, but fewer drives will be able to read the disc. This is a good choice if you expect to make many, small recordings on high-capacity DVD discs or don’t need to share your discs.

This error can be easily fixed by unregistering and re-registering some of the dll files and important system files for Media Center. So if you ever encounter such an error message, you can perform the following steps:

Click on Start and type cmd in the search box and hit enter.

If you have Windows XP Media center, click on Start and Run, type cmd and click on OK.

It will open Command prompt. In command prompts we will need to execute following commands in the same order as I am writing below:

regsvr32.exe atl.dll

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehSched /unregServer

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehSched /service

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRecvr /unregServer

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRecvr /service

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRec.exe /unregServer

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRec.exe /regserver

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe /unregServer

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe /regserver

In command prompt, type one line at a time from the above and hit enter. If the command is executed you will receive a message whether it succeeded or failed.

Restart Media center once all the commands are executed and it will work fine.