The Windows Memory Dump Screen

The appropriate name for this screen is ‘Memory Dump.’ It is rare on Windows these days, but it does happen occasionally. The common trigger for it is when an application or driver try to access a location in memory they do not have permission to access. This usually happens due to a poorly written device driver or application.

Common culprits:

• Video Card
• Network Adapter
• Faulty Memory Modules
• Faulty/Failing Hard disk
• Antivirus utility
• Attached devices (external USB hard disk)
• Antivirus or any application or utility that needs low level access in the operating system such as the kernel (the heart of Windows).

Diagnosing the problem.

Restart: By default, Windows 7 should automatically restart when a BSOD occurs. If it restarts and boots up normally then, you can check the Event Viewer and Action Center (see below) to see what might have caused the problem.

The Memory Dump screen will usually provide solutions you can attempt to resolve the problem with, while also providing information about what might have caused the problem. In the screen shot near the start of the article, you will see suggestions for what might be causing the problem and a recommendation to update the driver or disable it. The Memory Dump provided some technical information as to what system file is associated with this problem. In my case, its luafv.sys. Of course this is cryptic, but you might be able to resolve it, although you might not get far since it would make more sense to a software engineer. The first thing I will do is a web search to find out what luafv.sys is.

Here is what the web search results found:

luafv.sys (LUA File Virtualization Filter Driver) file, which is part of User Account Control.

Resolution:
Search your computer for luafv.sys, and make sure, it’s located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers folder.
You need to enable view of hidden, AND system files before you start search. If you have User Account Control turned on, try to turn it off, and see, if it helps with crashes.

Of course, not all Memory Dump issues are that easily resolvable. Others might be hardware related. Here are some things you can try:

If you continually experience a Blue Screen, it could be hardware added to the system recently, such as a USB printer. Remove it to see if the error reoccurs. The SCSI card in your System Unit many not have a compatible driver. If you have recently upgraded your graphics card, try reinstalling the old card and see if it resolves the problem. If the computer repeatedly displays the Blue Screen and you have tried everything, such as removing any external hardware devices with exception to the keyboard, mouse and monitor – try removing PCI cards. You should run hardware diagnostics supplied by the system manufacturer. For details on these procedures, see the owner’s manual for your computer.

Update BIOS:

Your computer just might need a special kind of update to work reliably with Windows 7. BIOS updates, although recommended as a last resort, can improve compatibility with installed or upgraded devices such as a video card or externally attached peripherals. BIOS updates are normally available from the manufacturer’s website. If you built your system yourself, the first place to check is the motherboard manufacturer’s website and search for the model number.

The Windows Event Viewer can help find what might have caused the problem, if you are able to successfully boot to the Windows desktop. Click Start, type: event viewer, then hit Enter on your keyboard. Expand Windows Logs and look through the log for the most recent error, this will compose information in the General pane indicating what might have caused the error.

Use the Windows Action Center:

Using the Windows Action Center can also provide information about an application or hardware device that might be causing system instability along with a solution.

To resolve a faulty system service problem as indicated by the action center: Disable the service and confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the manufacturer of the system service about a possible update.

If the error occurs during system startup, restart your computer and press F8 when you see a character-mode menu that displays the operating system choices. At the resulting Windows Advanced Options menu, choose the Last Known Good Configuration option. This option is most effective when only one driver or service is added at a time.

Resolving an antivirus software problem:

Disable the antivirus program, restart, and confirm that this resolves the error. If it does, contact the manufacturer of the program about a possible update.

Check your hard disk for errors:

Run Chkdsk /f /r to detect and repair disk errors. You must restart the system before the disk scan begins on a system partition. If the hard disk is SCSI, check for problems between the SCSI controller and the disk. You can learn more about how to run Check Disk here.

Faulty Memory

If you have recently upgraded the memory modules it’s a possibility that either the memory modules faulty or loose and need to be fitted properly. It’s useful, then, to check your memory modules for errors.

To access the System Recovery Environment in Windows 7, simply boot your PC, and just before the system loads the Windows operating system; hit the F8 key on your keyboard. This will launch the Advanced Boot Options menu. There you will see a new option for Repair Your Computer. Select this option and hit Enter on your keyboard.

On the system recovery screen, click Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool. Your computer will be restarted and the test will be run. If you are unable to boot into Advanced Boot Options, try booting from the Windows 7 installation DVD.

If an issue is discovered, it is possible that one of the memory modules is faulty. If you have recently installed new memory modules, check to make sure they are matching pairs and they are running at the same speed. One of the memory modules could be defective, so try booting with a single module at a time to see which one it could be.

Software:

If you have recently installed any programs since you started experiencing Blue Screens, try uninstalling the programs to see if it resolves the problem. If you are unable to boot into Normal Mode, try booting in Safe Mode, then remove the program.

Another thing to do in Safe Mode is disable Start Up items to see if any of them make a difference.

Reinstall Windows 7:

This is a tough one and the last recommendation when you have exhausted all other options. To avoid deleting your data, try doing a custom install over the current installation, that way, you can recover your data from the Windows.old folder. To do that:

• Boot from the Windows 7 DVD
• Click Install Now
• Accept the License Agreement
• When the option is displayed to select an installation type, click (Custom Advanced)
• Select the disk partition where you would like to install Windows 7 and click Next.

You will receive the following warning:

The partition you selected might contain files from a previous Windows Installation. If it does, these files and folders will be moved to a folder named Windows.old. You will be able to access the information in Windows.old, but you will be able to use your previous version of Windows.

At this point do NOT click anything named Format or Delete or Partition. This way even doing a custom install, your personal files are still preserved. Click OK.

Setup will now start the installation. During the installation, your machine will be restarted several times.

When the installation is complete, you will complete the Out of Box experience of having a new system, such as selecting your machine name, creating a username, password, and setting up your time zone. You can then proceed to download the latest updates for Windows and reinstall your applications and drivers.

You can then recover your personal files from the Windows.old folder and reinstall all your applications and drivers as detailed here.

If you continue to experience Blue Screens, this could be a serious sign of hardware failure, such as your hard disk or motherboard going bad. Take your computer to a reputable PC Repair Shop for further analysis and diagnosis. Write a note detailing all the steps you have already taken and make sure you have copies of your recovery software for the PC Repair Technician along with any documentation that came with your computer.

The Technician might also need access to your user account to make changes. I suggest you setup an account with Administrator privileges so they can effectively carry out their task.

How To Diagnose and Resolve Blue Screens of Death (BSODs) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

A repair upgrade is the simple process of installing a new build over the existing installation of Windows 7, using your installation DVD. What this does is replace broken operating system files while preserving your personal files, settings and installed applications.

Let us take a look at doing that.

Note: If you initially installed Windows 7 from a RTM disc (when it was just released), then updated to Service Pack 1, you won’t be able to use the RTM disc to do the repair upgrade because the version installed is newer than what is on the disc. The work around for this is to uninstall Service Pack 1.

To do that:

Click Start, then type: view installed updates.

Hit Enter on your keyboard.

Search for KB976932.

Select it and click Uninstall.

After your computer restarts, your computer will be restored to the RTM release of Windows 7. If you have not updated to Windows 7 Service Pack 1, you can skip this section. Another option: If you can obtain a Windows 7 retail disc that has been integrated with the SP1 code that matches your currently installed edition, then you can just use that instead.

Doing the Repair Update

The repair upgrade is a straightforward process. Simply boot to your Windows 7 desktop. Insert your Windows 7 installation DVD, then click Install Now.

When the setup menu appears, click Upgrade.

Setup will begin copying files. This will also replace any broken operating system files that might be preventing Windows from functioning properly.

There you have it: your personal files and installed applications are preserved. I found this especially handy for fixing corrupt operating system features. For example, I had disabled some features in Turn Windows Features on or off. When I tried to re-enable them, they would not work. Repair upgrade was able to fix this.

Of course, this means you will need to reapply any updates, since it basically replaces certain applications. It is an inconvenience, but achieves a functioning system if all else fails.

How To Do a Windows 7 Repair Upgrade is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Click the Show hidden icons button then click Customize.

This will open the Control Panel Notification Area Icons item. If you would like to change the behavior of an icon, simply click in the list box beside it and choose the desired behavior.

For example, if I want to have the Microsoft Encarta Dictionaries icon always displayed in the Notification Area, click in the list box beside it and click Show icon and notifications. See below.

Before

After

If you want to hide a notification, repeat the same step, but choose Hide icon and notifications.

If you want to change the behavior for system icons displayed in the Notification Area such as Clock, Volume, Network, Power and Action Center, click the Turn system icons on or off link at the bottom of the window.

In the above example, I have changed the Taskbar Notification behavior to hide the Clock, see the before and after inset.

How to change Taskbar Notification Area behavior (Quick Tip) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

The traditional method to backing up your software is to make a backup copy to a blank DVD or CD. Personally, I think this is going a step backwards. Creating digital backups would be more effective, making your programs accessible and less prone to damage or theft. Lately I’ve been creating digital backups as disc images. When I want to install an application, all I need to do is use a utility that mounts them (mounting is the process of preparing the program for use by the operating system’s file system).

Of course, there is nothing wrong with creating a physical backup, and I will show you how to do that using popular burning utilities.

Backup to physical disc

There are multiple ways you can backup a program on disc to a blank disc.

Nero:

If you are running Nero, insert the disc you want to copy.

Launch Nero Express.

Select the Image, Project, Copy option and click Copy Entire CD or DVD.

Next, select your source and destination. If you are recording on a desktop with dual optical drives, you will have an option of selecting the source drive and a destination drive. What this does is avoids the need to record a temporary image first, then record it to the destination drive with the blank optical disc. In my case, I am recording using a single DVD Burner.

Next, select the Writing speed. I personally recommend you choose the lowest speed for the best results. Sometimes when you write at high speeds your projects come out as coasters. Slow speeds guarantee reliability. After selecting your speed and the number of copies, click Copy to begin the process.

Nero is now going through the necessary steps to copy the disc, which includes verifying the disc and creating a temporary image (which is a replica of the disc) to be copied to a blank disc.

The next step is copy the temporary image to a blank disc. You will receive a prompt to insert a blank Disc, do so.

Nero will automatically continue the burning process after the blank disc is inserted.

Once the burn process is completed, you will be notified. Label your backup copy accordingly.

Roxio

If you are using Roxio, the process is pretty much the same. Launch Roxio.

Click the Copy tab.

Click Copy Disc then select your source and destination drive.

Click the Copy button to begin the copying process. This will create a temporary image.

Roxio copies the disc.

Once the image is successfully copied, you will be asked to insert a blank disc to complete the burning process.

If you have neither Nero or Roxio installed, you can use a free tool such as ImgBurn or even the free version of Nero called Nero BurnLite.

Creating Digital Backups

Now let me show you how to create digital backups. If you have physical copies of applications you still use, you can create digital backups of them and install them just as easy too using free software. The program I use for this is free and called ISO Recorder by Alex Feinman. You can download it here.

Using ISO Recorder is very simple. For this example I am going to make a backup copy of my Windows 7 DVD. After you installed ISO Recorder, insert the disc you would like to create a digital copy of. Choose Open Computer from the Start menu.

ISO Recorder adds a ‘Create image from CD’ contextual menu (which you can access via a right click). Click it.

This will launch the CD Recording wizard. Click the browse button to choose a name and location where you would like to store image.

Make sure the Save as type selection is set to ‘ISO-9660 Image files (*.iso).’ This is a universally recognized image format. Click Save.

The program is now creating an image of your disc.

When complete, click Finish.

You now have a digital copy of your program.

But how do you use the digital copies of the software you just created? There are a variety of utilities that allow you to mount these images (mounting being the process that makes the disc or disc image accessible to the Windows File System). These utilities are called Virtual Disc Programs. Two popular ones include Daemon Tools and PowerISO.

Daemon Tools

Daemon Tools is a simple program which adds a program in the Notification Area of the Windows Taskbar.

When you right click it it displays a menu with various options, the most important one in this case is Virtual CD/DVD-ROM.

What the Virtual CD/DVD Rom option does is let you mount .ISO files like the one we just created. You can then use it to install programs just like a physical disc.

Mounting is simple with Daemon Tools, just right click Daemon Tools in the Notification Area, select ‘Virtual CD/DVD-ROM > Device 0: > Mount Image.

Select the image that you created earlier and click Open.

When you open Computer, the program will appear as a typical Disc drive.

When you are finish using the image, you can  unmount by going back to the same menu and clicking Unmount Image. Another great feature Daemon Tools has is the ability to mount multiple images.

PowerISO

Another utility you can use for mounting images is PowerISO.

It works pretty much the same as Daemon Tools, just right click the icon in the Notification Area and click ‘Mount Image to Drive [x:] (x represents the name of the virtual drive).

Browse to where the image is located and click Open.

Your image will be mounted and accessible as a virtual disc drive in Computer.

When you are finished, you can unmount the image from the Notification Area menu for PowerISO.

How To Backup Your Software is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

How To Fix Windows Security Error

This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry.

Click on Start then type: regedit.exe

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Navigate to the following location.You should delete 1 extra (parasite) zone from

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\
with pseudo-graphic number, you’ll see it before zone number 0.

The above screenshot shows how it should look.

Now check whether the issue is resolved.

How To Fix Windows Security Reporting That it is Turned Off (Quick Tip) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

How to Remove Programs from Startup

Click Start, type: msconfig

Hit Enter on your keyboard. This will open the Microsoft Configuration Utility

Go to the Startup tab. There you will see a list of checked that set to start and load with Windows. You can see I have quite a few checked, some might be important, it’s up to you to carefully decide what you believe is not essential and what might be slowing down the system.

My recommendation includes avoiding your Antivirus utility, audio programs such as Kmaestro or Sound Blaster. Some of the common ones I like to disable include, iTunes, Quicktime, WinAmp, Adobe Acrobat, Windows Live Family Safety. For a list of others, please check out the Notebooks.com article, How to make your Windows 7 System Even Faster

Once you have identified the programs you don’t want to start with the system, uncheck them then click Apply and OK.

You can choose to Restart now or Restart later if you want.

How To Remove Items From Startup In WIndows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Selective Startup

The first thing I try when a program decides it’s not gonna uninstall is Selective startup in Windows. I first discovered its wonders back in 2007 when I had Microsoft OneCare Live installed on my system. Some how it was messing with the stability of the system, I couldn’t boot into normal mode, I found it was attributed to Windows Live OneCare, because when I disabled it as a start-up item in Safe Mode, I was able to boot into Normal mode properly. The next problem was uninstalling OneCare once I was in normal mode, it just refused to budge. So I booted back into Safe Mode, same thing again. So I decided to do some tinkering and stumbled across a feature in the Microsoft Systems Configuration utility called Diagnostics Mode.

Its self explanatory, it only loads basic devices and services, nothing related to Windows gets loaded in this mode and it only loads the bare essentials for Windows. To access it, just open the Microsoft System Configuration Utility, click Start, type: msconfig then hit Enter on your board.

Under the General tab, select Selective startup then click Apply and OK

Windows in Diagnostics Mode

Restart your computer. Once in Selective Startup mode, proceed to uninstall the program, go back to msconfig and select Normal startup so Windows will load normally.

Revo Uninstaller

Suppose Diagnostic mode fails to uninstall the troublesome program? Here is another solution? This will require that install a freeware utility called Revo Uninstaller, there is also a paid version, but the free version should be enough for most users needs. Revo Uninstaller is very detailed and provides insightful details about the program it is attempting to uninstall, including things like registry entries and where the program places files on your hard disk.

Here’s a quick look at how to use Revo Uninstaller.

Launch Revo Uninstaller after installing, select the program you want to uninstall or search for it using the built in search tool.

Click the Uninstall button on the toolbar.

This will start the uninstallation wizard for the particular program you selected. Revo Uninstaller will go through a series of steps which include creating a system restore point, creating a backup of your Windows registry.

Then analyze the program and run its default uninstaller, click Yes when you see the above dialog. After the uninstall is completed, you have a choice of scanning modes to select from. What this will do is let you scan for any left over files, folders and registry items from that particular program. Safe looks in the usual places, moderate in more advanced locations while Advanced does a thorough search throughout the entire computer. After selecting your choice, (I went with Advanced), click Scan.

Scanning for any leftover files, folders or registry items.

After the scan is complete, you will see a list of registry entries left behind by the program, select them then click Finish to thoroughly remove the program from your system.

The default uninstaller should work for most users, but for those troublesome programs, the Force Uninstall feature and advanced scanning options will give you more control. A handy tool indeed.

Common troublesome programs

Common programs that are often difficult to remove include utilities such as Antivirus or maintenance programs. Sometimes diagnostics programs will work when trying to remove them, but it’s often best you try using a removal utility provided by the vendor of the Antivirus utility. Here are a list of Antivirus removal utilities from popular Antivirus vendors, if you don’t have any of the listed AV’s installed, check the vendors website for your particular Antivirus uninstallation utility.

• Kaspersky Removal Tool
• Norton Removal Tool
• McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool
• Trend Micro Uninstall Tool
• BitDefender Uninstall Tool
• Panda Antivirus Uninstaller
• F-Secure Product Removal
• Avira Antivir Removal Tool

Nero: Another problematic program to remove is Ahead Nero. The multimedia suite is prominent for its CD/DVD burning product Nero Burning ROM as well as other tools such photo editing, video authoring, audio editing, file conversion, backup, and an entertainment media center. I noticed that using the Programs and Features uninstall options do not work when removing the Nero Suite. Thankfully, Ahead Software, makers of Nero provide their own removal tool you can use. You can download it here, it’s called the Nero General Clean Tool.

Using the Nero CleanTool is very simple, just down, run it and click the Clean button. That’s it!

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office which is the popular productivity suite developed by Microsoft Corp., can have its moments too when you want to uninstall it. The company also provides some tools and solutions for removing the suite if built in options such as Safe Mode or Diagnostics mode do not work.

Run the Fix it tool to uninstall Office 2010.

If the above step does not resolve the issue, uninstall Office manually by removing all the Office keys from registry. Note, read the disclaimer mentioned in this article before performing any troubleshooting steps.

iTunes: If you use iTunes, Apple provides instructions for removing and reinstalling iTunes, QuickTime, and other software components for Windows Vista or Windows 7. ByeTunes is also another popular solution for removing iTunes.

How to Uninstall Troublesome Programs from Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Unlike previous Service Packs, Windows 7 SP1 does not contain any major improvements; it’s basically a rollup of updates that have been released for the operating system since it went to manufacturing July 22nd 2009. If you have been diligently updating your computer through Windows Update since then, you basically have most of what SP1 has to offer.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 available through Windows Update

Windows 7 SP1 is provided in two ways, either as a full .ISO file download weighing in at 2 GBs or as an update available through Windows Update. The .ISO file contains SP1 code for different processor architectures such as x86, x86-x64 and Itanium systems. There are separate downloads which are much smaller for 64 and 32 bit installations of Windows 7. So if you don’t have a mixture of Windows 7 architectures to update, you can download just the one you need.

Learn more about Windows 7 SP1

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will help you:

• Keep your PCs supported and up-to-date
• Get ongoing updates to the Windows 7 platform
• Easily deploy cumulative updates at a single time
• Meet your users’ demands for greater business mobility
• Provide a comprehensive set of virtualization innovations
• Provide an easier Service Pack deployment model for better IT efficiency

Do not click download if you are updating just one computer: A smaller, more appropriate download is now available on Windows Update. The best way to ensure you get Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is by turning on the Automatic Updates feature. You can use our step-by-step instructions or, if you prefer, let us do it for you. If Windows Update is not offering you the option to install the service pack, see KB 2498452. If you are encountering a problem when installing the service pack from Windows update, see Troubleshoot problems installing a service pack for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Steps to take before installing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 from the Microsoft Download Center

If you choose to install Windows 7 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center Web site, there are steps that you can take to make sure that you have a good experience when you install the service pack. This article, KB 2505743, provides some suggestions to improve your experience when you install Windows 7 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center Web site.

In order to download and install Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 you must currently have a Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 already installed. If you have previously installed a pre-release version of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 on your machine, you must uninstall that version before installing SP1.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is available for installation in the same languages made available at original launch of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Whichever method you choose, check out the Notebooks.com article for some tips to ensure a smooth installation of Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

Download Windows 7 Service Pack 1 HERE

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Now Ready for Download: What You Need to Know is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Microsoft released the first beta back in June 2010 followed by a Release Candidate late October 2010 and the final RTM availability (February 16^th 2011 MSDN/TechNet subscribers) and public Availability (February 22^nd 2011). Unlike previous Service Packs, Windows 7 SP1 does not contain any major improvements; it’s basically a rollup of updates that have been released for the operating system since it went to manufacturing July 22^nd 2009. If you have been diligently updating your computer through Windows Update since then, you basically have all that SP1 has to offer.

Windows 7 SP1 is provided in two ways, either as a full .ISO file download weighing in at 2.4 GBs or as an update available through Windows Update. The .ISO file contains SP1 code for different processor architectures such as x86, x86-x64 and Itanium systems. Because I have a mixture of 32 and 64 bit systems, I went with the .ISO file. Whichever method you choose, here are some tips for ensuring a smooth installation.

1. Make sure you install the latest updates for Windows 7, your applications and device drivers. This can ensure a smooth experience I noticed, although Windows 7 SP1 is minor, you don’t want to take any chances. If you are updating through Windows Update, it also guarantees a smaller update since only missing patches will be applied.

2. Backup – you can never go wrong with backing up; this is something you should do often even when you are not making major changes to your computer. Windows 7 has made it very easy to backup your computer. The built in system imaging and backup and restore center makes it convenient to back up the operating system and all your critical data. In fact, I used this to test the beta and RC releases of SP1 on my production system. This method carried its risks, but at least I knew my RTM installation was safely backed up and tucked away from pre-release code.

3. Don’t do it during a major project, if you have something you are working on at the moment on your computer or in the middle of an assignment or work related project which you might need your PC for, don’t install the Service Pack right away. Do it in your off time, such as on the weekend or when you know you can leave your PC while it installs itself automatically. My installation took over 2 hours.

4. This brings me to another point, which is, don’t install SP1 on a laptop on battery power, it’s a CPU intensive task and will use up most of your battery power. So make sure your laptop is connected to power. For desktop users, I strongly recommend you have a UPS connected, you just don’t know when the unexpected can occur. You might just be in the last lap of completing the 2 hour installation and lose power.

5. Disable your Antivirus, I remember installing the SP1 beta with Microsoft Security Essentials version 1 installed and received an error that my Antivirus is not compatible. Although this was resolved, your experience might vary. I haven’t experienced the issue in the RTM code although I am running Microsoft Security Essentials version 2. Someone reported receiving an error message about Forefront Client Security not allowing the Service Pack to install. The recommendation is to disable Forefront which is based on the same core scanning engine as MSE or make sure you at least have the latest version of Forefront client security installed.

6. Another thing you should do is a clean boot before installing the Service Pack, you can do this by:

• Click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
• Accept User Account Control permission
• If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
• On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
• Under Selective Startup, click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
• Click the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
• Click OK.
• When you are prompted, click Restart.
• After the computer starts, proceed with the installation.

7. Another task you should try is to check your hard disk for errors:

• Click Start
• Type: CMD, from the results, right click CMD
• Click ‘Run as Administrator’
• At the Command Prompt, type: chkdsk /r /f

When you restart your system, your computer will be scanned for errors and attempts will be made to correct them.

Now for a look at installing the Service Pack

Here you can see I am installing from a DVD I burnt myself using the multi-language .ISO file.

Setup wizard for Service Pack 1, click Next.

Starting the installation

Make sure all your programs are closed, refer to my point earlier about doing a clean boot. Another thing I would suggest you do is to disable any non-essential devices during the installation such as external hard disks or thumb drive.

Service Pack 1 automatically creates a system restore point just in case there is a problem, you can restore your computer to an earlier time.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 spends a significant amount of time installing KB976932, you might even wonder if your computer is responding at all, just leave it, it will eventually pass this stage.

Still installing KB976932, after the installation is complete, Windows 7 will restart and a series of consecutive restarts will happen and your system will do a final configuration.

That’s it, Windows 7 SP1 installed successfully:

After the installation is complete, you might want to do some post installation tasks. For instance, you might be a bit low on disk space, Windows 7 SP1 adds to this, to resolve it you can run the Disk Cleanup utility to remove the SP1 installation files.

Click Start, type: Disk

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Select the drive on which Windows 7 is installed

Disk Clean up wizard scanning your computer for files that safe to remove.

On the Disk Cleanup window, click the button Clean up system files

Disk Cleanup will search for Service Pack Backup Files

Check the Service Pack Backup Files box and click OK. Consider carefully before doing this, as noted in the description, if you delete it, you won’t be able to uninstall the Service Pack at a later. Which is why I strongly recommend you at least create a system image of Windows before you even update to Service Pack 1. If the amount of space recovered will be negligible, then don’t bother deleting it.

How to install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Multiple accounts aren’t just great for occasions where you are sharing a computer with a friend, even families can benefit from having multiple user accounts setup on their PC, keeping important files safe from accidental deletion by children is probably the most important reason for setting up another user account on the family PC. Also, if you are a parent who cares about your child’s safety on the Internet, Parental Controls in Windows 7 will benefit greatly from multiple user accounts.

In this article, we look at how to setup another user account and apply special permissions to it for how it should be used. Permissions can be very important in computer lab settings where you might manage more than one computer and want to set permissions on how and when a computer should be accessed.

Create a New User Account

To create a new user account, click Start, type: Create an account

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Give the account a name, choose the type of account, in this case, we will be choosing Standard user for added security. Click Create Account

To make changes to the account, click on the desired account.

One of the most important things you should do is setup a password for the account. A password ensures that only the right person can access your computer and accounts on the system. Click Create a password.

Enter a password for the account, then enter it again to confirm it. If you would like some tips for creating a strong password, click the ‘How to create a strong password’ link for instructions. Next you will need to create a password hint, this will help you remember the password in case you forget it. Once complete, click Create password

If you would like to setup parental controls you can do that next. Please refer to Notebooks.com article about how to use Parental Controls for more info.

Permissions

If you are using Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate editions, you will have access to more functions that allow you to define certain settings for user accounts in Windows 7. Local Security Policy is a feature of these particular editions.

You can access it by clicking Start, type Local Security Policy

Then hit Enter on your keyboard.

In Local Security Policy, expand Security Settings, then expand Account Policies. Here you will see two folders: Password Policy and Account Lockout Policy.

Password Policy folder list policies you can apply for requirements a user must have when setting up a password on the computer. The Enforce password history for instance allows you to set the maximum amount of characters required for a password.

Here you can set the amount of values required before you can apply a password to an account. Listed are other options such as Maximum and minimum age of the password, how long the password must be, complexity and options for encryption.

Account Lockout Policy This folder list some very cool options that can help lock down your PC and prevent unauthorized individuals from trying to access your computer.

For instance, if you enable secure log on (CTRL-ALT-DEL), you can set the amount of tries before the user is prevented from attempting to try again. So, if the user fails to enter the right username/password after 2 attempts, this will lock the user account. When this is enabled, you can then use the Account lockout duration, which be from 1 min to 99,999 mins.

An Example:

Here I am setting up a policy when people enter the wrong password after a certain amount of times, in my case, I have set it to 2. I have also set the lock duration to 2 minutes. You can extend the threshold and the amount of attempts as you like.

So when someone makes two failed attempts, they will receive the following error message.

Locking down accounts

If you want to make your accounts even more secure, Local Security Policy includes a Security Policy folder with options for securing your accounts even more.

In the above screenshot, I will be enabling the option to not display any account information when Windows 7 displays the account screen. Double click Interactive logon: Display user information when the session is locked

Click in the list box and select Do not display user information

From now on, your account name will not be displayed by default, users must enter both User name and Password.

Another option is to display a message when the Windows 7 Welcome Screen is displayed. If you manage a group of computers, you can have this message displayed for scenarios such as help and support. You can even use it for cases where your laptop might be lost (good luck with that). So you can display a message on the welcome screen telling the person who finds your laptop where they can locate you to return it.

Here I can enter a message for people who are attempting to log on. In this dialog I have typed If you are have trouble using your Laptop, please go to http://www.notebooks.com After entering the message, click Apply and OK.

I have also added a title for the message: To Notebooks Users from Xavier and Josh Click Apply and OK.

So every time the Welcome screen is displayed, users will see the following message.

This can greatly help you prevent individuals from trying to access your account, it’s a great deterrent and makes it frustrating for the individual making password guessing a waste of time.

How to Create and Protect User Accounts in Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.