22 Common Windows 7 Problems Solved

8/2/2019 22 Common Windows 7 Problems Solved

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22 common Windows 7 problems solved

Smooth out Windows 7 quirks with these quick fixes

We like Windows 7: it's faster than Vista, makes better use of your system resources, ispacked with interesting features, and looks great, too.

But that doesn't mean it's perfect, of course. If you've moved to Windows 7 recently thenyou might have noticed various upgrade problems, interface issues and features that seemto have disappeared entirely, among many other complications with the new system.

Don't despair, though - while these problems can be really frustrating, answers arebeginning to appear. We've uncovered some of the best and most effective solutionsaround, so follow our guide and your Windows 7 installation will soon be back on track.

18 cool things Windows 7 does that Vista doesn't

1. Vista upgrade hangs at 62%

Windows 7 can start causing problems before it's even installed, as many people reporttheir upgrade hangs forever at 62%. Which is annoying.
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Reboot, and your PC should roll back to Windows Vista. You can then open the setup logfile \$WINDOWS. BT\Sources\Panther\setupact.log to view what happened. Microsoft saythis is usually caused because the Iphlpsvc service has stopped responding, and just addingan environment variable to ignore it will fix the problem. Point your browser athttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/975253 for the fix.

If this doesn't help (or your upgrade hangs at something other than 62%) then browse thesetup log for other clues. And you might also try to boot and install from the Windows 7disc, if possible, as that reduces the chance of any conflict with your existing Vista (or XP)setup.

INSTALL WINDOWS 7:Windows 7 upgrades are usually quick, but sometimes it doesn'tinstall at all

2. DVD drive not found

In some cases your DVD drive may not be found by Windows 7, even if it's visible in theBIOS and using the standard driver.

The standard solution here is to run REGEDIT, browse toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-
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E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}, then delete both UpperFilters and LowerFilters in theright-hand pane (UpperFilters.bak and LowerFilters.bak entries can be ignored).

No change? Resetting the drive letter has worked for some. Click Start, type DiskManagement and choose the "Create and format hard disk partitions" link. If your optical

drive is visible here then right-click it, select Change Drive Letter and Paths, click Changeand choose a new letter. If the drive is now visible in Explorer, then repeat the process tochange the drive letter back; if it's still not visible, reboot and it should appear.

3. Aero isn't running

If Windows 7 isn't looking its best - transparency has been turned off, say - then the Aerotheme may not have been fully enabled on your system. Click Start, type Aero, choose the"Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects" link, and click Next tolaunch the Aero troubleshooting wizard. It'll try to identify and resolve and problems. Andif it doesn't, then install the latest driver for your graphics hardware. That could be all your

system needs.

Some Aero features may be disabled in the Registry, though. For example, if Aero Peek(the ability to make open windows transparent to display your desktop underneath) doesn'twork for you, then launch REGEDIT, browse toHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM and make sureEnableAeroPeek is set to 1, rather than 0.


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NO AERO:Windows 7's troubleshooting wizards will fix many display problems while you

watch

4. Aero Snap irritations

Windows 7's new ability to move and resize windows, all in one movement, can be agenuine productivity boost. But if you find windows moving around when you don't expectit then Aero Snap is more of an annoyance than anything else, though at least it's one youcan disable in just a few seconds.

Launch Control Panel, click Ease of Access, and select either "Change how your mouseworks" or "Change how your keyboard works". Then browse down to the "Make it easierto manage windows" section, check "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged

when moved to the edge of the screen", click OK, and program windows now won't goanywhere unless you specifically command it.

5. iPhone won't sync in Windows 7

Irritated iPhone users arebeginning to report major difficulties in getting their iPhone tosync with Windows 7 systems. Particularly 64-bit Windows 7 systems, based around theP55 chipset. The iPhone is usually (though not always) recognised, but iTunes then
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complains that it can't connect to the unit because of an "unknown error", usually (thoughagain, not always) 0xE8000065.

Disabling USB power management appears to be one solution. Click Start, typeDEVMGMT.MSC and press [Enter] to launch Device Manager, then click View > Devices

By Type. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section of the tree, right-click eachUSB Root Hub entry in turn, select Properties > Power Management, and clear "Allow thecomputer to turn off this device to save power".

Reboot your PC after this tweak and try again. This works for some, but if you're out ofluck then check the Apple Discussions thread for other ideas.

SYNCING FEELING:iTunes on Windows 7 won't always see, or sync with, your iPod

6. Windows 7 themes change your custom icons

Windows 7 has some spectacular new themes - there's a great selection at the Microsoft site- but installing them can have one annoying side-effect. If you've previously changed asystem icon like Computer or the Recycle Bin then that could disappear, replaced by theequivalent icon from the theme pack.
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To prevent this, right-click an empty part of the desktop, select Personalize > ChangeDesktop Icons, clear the "Allow themes to change desktop icons" box and click OK. Youricons will now be preserved, and the only way to change them will be manually, from thesame Desktop Icons dialogue.

7. Taskbar problems

We like the new Windows 7 taskbar, but many people seem less than impressed with thenew approach to taskbar buttons, finding it difficult to tell at a glance whether an icon is arunning application or a pinned shortcut. If this sounds like you then there's an easy way torestore more standard taskbar buttons, though - right-click the taskbar, select Properties,and set Taskbar Buttons to "Never combine" or "Combine when taskbar is full".

You can even restore the old Quick Launch toolbar in just a few clicks. Simply right-clickthe taskbar, click Toolbars > New Toolbar, type %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch in the folder box and

click Select Folder. The Quick Launch toolbar should then reappear, and you can move andresize it to suit your needs.

STANDARD TASKBAR:Just a few seconds work and your taskbar has that retro look

8. Missing Explorer folders

Click Start > Computer in Windows 7 and you'll find system folders like Control Panel and

the Recycle Bin are no longer displayed in the left-hand Explore pane. This seems like abackward step to us, but there's a quick solution. Click Tools > Folder Options, check"Show all folders", click OK and all your top-level system folders will reappear.

9. Missing applets

Windows 7 installs quickly and takes up less hard drive space than you might expect, but inpart that's down to cheating - Mail, Movie Maker, Photo Gallery and other applets are no


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longer bundled with a standard Windows installation. Instead you must download theprograms you need from the Windows Live Essentials site.

Installing Live Essentials will also get you potentially unnecessary extras, though, like anActiveX control to help in uploading files to Windows Live SkyDrive. And the Windows

Live Sign-In Assistant, which can be useful if you want to switch between multipleWindows Live accounts. If you have only one Windows Live account, and no plans to useLive SkyDrive, then these can safely be removed from the Control Panel Uninstall AProgram applet.

TAKE YOUR PICK:You can install as many, or as few of the Live Essentials programs

as you like

10. Too many minidumps

By default Windows 7 now keeps the last 50 minidump files (memory images saved whenyour PC crashes). If you're keen on using dump files to troubleshoot crashes then this isgood news, but if you've no interest in that kind of advanced debugging then minidumpsare just a waste of your valuable hard drive space. In which case you should run
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REGEDIT, browse toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl, and setMiniDumpsCount to 1. Windows will only now keep the last dump file and you'll free up alittle hard drive space.

11. HP Multifunction Printer problems

If you've an HP multifunction printer with its "Full Feature Software solution" or "BasicDriver solution" installed then, after upgrading to Windows 7, you may find the printerstops working. Press the buttons on the front of the printer and nothing will happen; launchthe software manually and you'll see reports that it can't connect to your hardware.

The problem is that a few files and Registry entries have been lost in the migration toWindows Vista, and even reinstalling the original HP software won't help. Fortunatelythere's a new version of HP Solution Center that should get everything working again,though, and you can find out more about it at theHP support site.

12. Hidden extensions

Explorer's default settings in Windows 7 hide file extensions, as well as system files andfolders.

To fix this, launch Explorer and click Tools > Folder Options > View.

Clear the "Hide extensions for known file types" to show file extensions, reducing thelikelihood that you'll accidentally double-click on virus.txt.exe in future.

And as long as there are no novice users on your system who might go poking around inExplorer, we'd also choose to "Show hidden files and folders" as well as clear the "Hideprotected operating system files" box. It's often important to see these files when you'retroubleshooting, or following problem-solving instructions from someone else.

13. DVD audio issues

Windows 7 runs well even on old notebooks, say reviewers, and in general they're right.But we have seen reports of problems, for example with DVD audio, where movie sound iseither completely unintelligible or doesn't appear at all.

Should anything similar happen to you then head off to Control Panel, click Hardware andSound > Sound, right-click your current default playback device (it'll have a green tickdisplayed) and select Properties.

Then click Advanced, clear any settings in the Exclusive Mode box and click OK. You'venow ensured that older or badly-behaved drivers can't take complete control of the speakersany more, and this alone will often be enough to get your system working again. (But if itdoesn't, installing new audio drivers is your next best option.)
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14. Windows Live MovieMaker

For some bizarre reason Windows Live MovieMaker won't let you import network files bydefault. Okay, so they'll be large and may monopolise network traffic for a while, butshouldn't that be your choice?

Anyway, a quick Registry tweak will solve this annoying problem. Simply run REGEDIT,browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live\Movie Maker,add a DWORD value called AllowNetworkFiles and set it to 1: job done.

IMPORT NETWORK FILES:Network access is only a Registry tweak away

15. XP Mode doesn't work

If you've ancient software that won't work under Windows 7 then in theory you can use XPMode, a virtual machine with an installation of Windows XP that should be moresuccessful. In practice, however, it doesn't always work out that way.

Problem 1 is XP Mode requires hardware support from the CPU. TheMicrosoft Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool can check your system to see if it's compatible.
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Problem 2 is the feature must be enabled in the BIOS. Microsoft has some instructions, butessentially you just need to browse your BIOS setup program looking for an AMD-V, IntelVT or VIA VT virtualisation setting and ensure it's turned on.

Unfortunately problem number 3 is that some laptop manufacturers have previously

disabled this setting for "security" reasons. Sony Vaios had the feature turned off for awhile, for instance, prompting some to recommend ways in which you can edit theirfirmware to restore the setting, although Sony seems to have restored it recently. Ifhardware virtualisation is turned off on your system then check with the manufacturer - aBIOS upgrade may fix the problem.

And if all else fails, just use a package like VirtualBox that doesn't insist on hardwaresupport. You will need to provide a licenced copy of XP (or whatever other version youwant to use) to install on it, though.

WINDOWS 7 XP MODE:Good news - this CPU is up to the task of running XP Mode
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16. Add Windows Media Center to AutoPlay options

Windows 7 includes Media Center, but for some strange reason you can't choose it as anAutoPlay handler. The only standard program that can be launched to play DVD-Videodiscs, say, is Media Player, which seems an odd limitation.

Fortunately there's no fundamental change that's preventing this from working, it's just thatWindows 7 doesn't contain the required Registry entries. If you've a Windows Vista PC tohand then you could export these yourself: just go toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers and save all the keys and values beginning with EHome.

17. Missing crash dump files

Impressive though Windows 7 is, it'll crash sometimes, and if you've installed diagnosticsoftware like the Windows debugging tools then you'll want the crash dump file to hand for

further investigations. And yet in some situations you'll find the memory.dmp file neverappears. So what's going on?

First, click Start, right-click Computer and select Properties > Advanced System Settings >Startup and Recovery Settings. Make sure that "Write debugging information" is set tosomething other than "none", and that "Dump file" is the default "%SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP".

If that's all correct then check your free hard drive space. If your system isn't on a domain,and has less than 25GB free, then Windows 7 will no longer keep a crash dump file. Ifyou'd like to change that, launch REGEDIT, browse to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl, create anew DWORD value called AlwaysKeepMemoryDump, set it to 1, and in future the crashdump file will always be preserved.

18. Can't disable hibernation

Windows 7 doesn't make it easy to turn off hibernation, annoying if you never use it asyou'll permanently have a "hiberfil.sys" file taking up a sizeable portion of your hard drive.To rectify this situation, launch REGEDIT, browse toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power, and setHibernateEnabled to zero.

19. Poor video quality

The new Windows 7 power plan settings affect more of your software than ever before. Ifyou notice video playback quality seems poor, for instance, then click Start, type PowerOptions and click the Power Options link. Click Change Plan Settings for your currentlyselected plan, click Change Advanced Settings, expand the Multimedia Settings sectionand make sure "Playing video" is set to "Optimise performance".


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Alternatively, if you often play video on a laptop, then change the new setting to "Optimiseperformance" and you may see an improvement in battery life.

20. Where's Software Explorer?

If you've ever played with Windows Defender on Vista then you'll have probably noticedthe Software Explorer feature, a very useful way to find out and control exactly what'slaunched on your PC when Windows starts. So it's a little annoying to see this hasdisappeared in the latest version, leaving you with only the aging MSCONFIG to controlyour startup programs.

We'd recommend you download and use Autoruns, then, instead. It's rather more technicalthan Software Explorer, but nothing else provides quite as much useful detail on the add-ons and extensions you'll be loading when Windows, Explorer and your browser arelaunched.

START UP:Autoruns shows all the programs that will load when your PC starts
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21. Explorer navigation

The Windows 7 version of Explorer has partly disconnected its two panes, so if you'redouble-clicking your way down a complex set of folders in the right-hand pane, the lefthand tree won't always expand to follow you.

This may improve performance a little, but it also means that you won't always be able tosee the complete folder structure unless you expand it manually, which on balance seems abad idea. If you agree then click Organize > Folder and Search Options, check"Automatically expand to current folder", and click OK to restore normal operations.

22. Windows Live Messenger and the system tray

Close Windows Live Messenger on Windows 7 and it'll display its icon on the taskbar,chewing up useful application space, rather than in the system tray where many believe itbelongs.

Fortunately there's a very quick fix: right-click the shortcut to Windows Live Messenger,click Properties > Compatibility, check "Run this program in compatibility mode for" andchoose "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)" from the list. Close Messenger and its icon shouldnow appear in the system tray, just as you'd expect.

Documents

22 Common Windows 7 Problems Solved