You sit up suddenly in a cold sweat, and scream. But you're in bed, and it was just a bad dream. Sighing with relief, you get up, get dressed, go to work, and turn on your PC.
Then you sit up suddenly in a cold sweat, and scream--but this time, it's not a dream. It's a Windows nightmare.
Compared with its predecessors, Windows 7 is remarkably secure and dependable. It's far from perfect, though: An unbootable PC, a nasty piece of malware, or a single but important file gone missing can make you lose days or even months of work. And you can't solve every nightmare by waking up.
Here are ways out of six common Windows 7 disasters. I'll tell you how to fix a PC that won't boot, retrieve files from an inaccessible hard drive, stop frequent Blue Screens of Death, restore a forgotten administrator password, remove malware, and find a missing file.
1. Your PC Won't Boot
If turning on your PC doesn't bring you into Windows, try booting from a Windows 7 DVD or a recovery disc.
You may already have the DVD. If Windows 7 didn't come with your computer but you installed it yourself, you have the disc. If you don't have it, you can borrow someone else's disc.
Alternatively you can borrow someone else's Windows 7 computer and use it to create a System Repair Disc (you can also do this on your own PC before it has a problem). To create the disc, click Start, type system repair, select Create a System Repair Disc, and follow the prompts.
If your computer won't boot from the CD, go into its setup screen and change the boot order so that the optical or CD/DVD drive comes before the hard drive. I can't tell you exactly how to do this since it differs from one PC to another. When you first turn on the computer, look for an on-screen message telling you to press a particular key 'for setup'.
If your PC fails before you can enter setup or boot from a CD, you have a hardware problem. If you're not comfortable working inside a PC, take it to a professional.
But let's assume that the CD boots. When it does, follow the prompts. Likely the utility will tell you very soon that there's a problem, and it will ask if you want to fix the problem. You do.
If it doesn't ask you, or if the disc can't fix the issue, you'll see a menu with various options. Startup Repair and System Restore are both worth trying.
2. You Can't Access the Hard Drive
If Windows can't boot because the PC can't read the hard drive, none of the solutions above will work. But that's not the worst of it: Unless you have a very up-to-date backup (and shame on you if you don't), all of your files are locked away on a possibly dead hard drive. Secondary drives you don't boot off of, both internal and external, also can die with important data locked away on them.
If the drive is making noises that you've never heard before, shut off the PC immediately. In that case you have only one possible solution, and it's expensive: Send the drive to a (That's Microsoft's term; everyone else calls them 'Blue Screens of Death,' or BSoDs.) To view the logs and make sense of them, download and run BlueScreenView, a free, portable program by NirSoft (portable means you don't have to install it). The program shows you what drivers were running at the time of the crash, and highlights the likeliest suspects. If the same drivers come up from multiple crashes, you should definitely update them.
Speaking of updating drivers, you should make sure that all of them are current. Gta sa mods ps2 download. SlimWare Utilities' free SlimDrivers makes this chore remarkably easy, as it scans Windows and lists which drivers need to be updated. If you register (that's free, too), it will find the drivers and run the update for you. It even offers to create a restore point before each update. Don't update all of your drivers at once, however; if you do, and one of them makes things worse, you'll have a tough time figuring out which one.
Frequent BSoDs can also be a sign of hardware problems, especially bad RAM. Although Windows 7 has its own memory-diagnostics program, I prefer the free Memtest86+, which you have to boot separately. You can download the program either as an .iso file--from which you can create a bootable CD--or as an .exe file that will install the program and its bootable operating system onto a flash drive.
4. No One Has the PC's Administrator Password
If the wrong person leaves your company in a huff, one or more PCs could be left stranded. With no one in the company knowing the password to an administrator-level account, you can't install software, change important settings, or possibly access encrypted data.
Fortunately, you can remove the password, letting you log on to that account. You do that with the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, a bootable, text-based free program that you download as an .iso file. Double-click that file, and Windows 7 will start the process of burning it to a CD.
Boot the CD and follow these instructions. I've put the on-screen prompts in italics. After you type your answer, press Enter.
boot: Just press Enter.
Select: [1]: Above the prompt you'll see a list of hard-drive partitions. Select the right one by typing that number.
What is the path to the registry directory?..: The default is probably correct. Just press Enter.
What to do? [1] ->: 1
or simply enter the username..: Type the name of the administrator account. If you're not sure what it is, all of the account names are listed above the prompt.
Select: [q] >: 1
Select: ! - quit..: !
What to do [1]: q
About to write file(s) back..: y
New run? [n]: n
# Remove the CD and reboot.
You should now be able to log on to the administrator account without a password. For security purposes, don't forget to create a new password for the account. Mass effect 3 scanner. Just be sure to remember what it is.
Next page: How do you know whether your PC is infected? What if a file disappears?
How to Enable or Disable 'Log off' in the Start Menu of Windows 7
This will show you how to enable or disable the Log off option in the Start Menu for specific or all users in Windows 7.
You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to this tutorial.
You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to this tutorial.
When Log off is disable in the Start Menu, Log off is remove in the Start Menu power button and grayed out in the arrow menu to the right of the power button.
EXAMPLE: Start Menu 'Log off' Enabled and Disabled
Windows 7 Won't Log Off
Using a REG File Download
1. Do step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do.
2. To Enable 'Log Off' in the Start Menu for Only Current User
NOTE:This is the default setting.A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.3. To Disable 'Log Off' in the Start Menu for Only Current UserEnable_Start_Menu_Log_off.regA) Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.4.Save the .reg file to your desktop.Disable_Start_Menu_Log_off.reg
5. Double click on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7. Restart the computer to apply.
8.When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
Through the Local Group Policy Editor
1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied.
2. In the left pane, click on to expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, and Start Menu and Taskbar. (see screenshot below)3. In the right pane, double click on Remove Logoff on the Start Menu. (see screenshot above)
4. To Enable 'Log Off' in the Start MenuA) Select (dot) either Not Configured or Disabled. (see screenshot below step 6)5. To Disable 'Log Off' in the Start Menu
NOTE:Not Configured is the default setting.
B) Go to step 6.A) Select (dot) Enabled. (see screenshot below step 6)6. Click on OK. (see screenshot below)7. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window.
Windows 7 Won't Log Off Or Shut Down
That's it,Shawn
Windows 7 Won't Log Off Or Shutdown
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