Microsoft offers several no-cost tools for  burning DVDs and CDs. For example, if you insert a blank, writable disc AutoPlay will display a menu with options for burning audio or data discs. Windows Media Player can also be used for burning discs, click the Burn tab on the right as shown in the image below. Then drag audio or video files from the center pane to the list on the right. Click Start burn to burn the disc.

After the jump, more CD and DVD burning tools, including Movie Maker and ways to burn ISOs.

Microsoft offers a variety of free applications at Windows Live including Movie Maker. Movie Maker is a simple tool for creating movies and slideshows. You can combine video clips, photos, and audio files; Movie Maker includes a variety of transition effects, the ability to overlay text, and to adjust the lighting and contrast of videos. You can also burn completed movies to disc from within the program. You can click on the DVD icon on the ribbon or select Burn a DVD from the Save movie menu, as shown below.

Those are basic tasks though, what if you want to do more sophisticated things when burning discs like creating a bootable DVD or editing an ISO image that you downloaded? Winzip is able to open ISO image, you can use it to copy files from within an ISO image but it does not include features for creating or modifying them. UltraISO is designed to do exactly that. UltraISO is designed for creating, editing, and converting both bootable and non-bootable ISO images. One feature that I find particularly useful is the ability to burn and an ISO image to a USB drive, its very convenient to have a bootable USB drive with antimalware and troubleshooting tools. For example, you might want to burn the ISO image I describe in Creating a Custom DVD or CD for Eliminating Viruses and Spyware to a thumb drive that you carry around in case one of your less computer proficient relatives asks for help when you’re visiting. In Explorer, Right-click the ISO image and select Open with UltraISO. In the Local: pane in the lower right select the thumb drive, then open the Bootable menu and select Write Disk Image, as shown below. The Write Disk Image dialog box will appear, click Write to write the ISO image to the USB drive.

How to create a bootable disc? You could do it with Linux, but then you’d have to learn another OS, I prefer to stick with Windows. Besides, there are a lot of useful tools already available for Windows. You may have heard of the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE or simply PE) that has been available to computer vendors for years. Microsoft made it available to everyone a few years ago, and I’ve found it to be extremely useful. There are several ways to create a customized Windows PE disc, the simplest approach is to use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) that some colleagues of mine in the Solutions Accelerators Team (SAT) at Microsoft created. You’ll need several gigs of storage space to download and use everything described below, make sure you have enough room before you start!

1. Download and install MDT 2010, you can use the default values for the installation.
2. Download Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7 and burn the disc image to a DVD. Run StartCD.exe from the DVD to install the AIK on your computer. Once again, you can use the default values for the installation. This is a big file, if you have an MSDN subscription I suggest that you download it from there because the MSDN downloader can resume interrupted downloads from where they left off.
3. Download malware scanning tools and other utilities designed for offline use. There are a lot of free antimalware tools available, but for this troubleshooting disc you need those that will work in offline mode, I’ve been able to use Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool, Alwil Software’s avast! Virus Cleaner, and McAfee AVERT Stinger with ease.
4. To create a Deployment Share in MDT
   1. Open Deployment Workbench from the Start Menu.
   2. In the console tree expand Deployment Workbench and right-click Deployment Shares.
   3. Select New Deployment Shares and specify a location for the deployment share such as C:\Deploymentshare.
   4. Accept the default values for the rest of the options and complete the wizard.
5. You’re ready to create the troubleshooting disc, to do so
   1. In the console tree expand Deployment Workbench and right-click Deployment Shares.
   2. Right-click the deployment share you created in the details pane and select Properties.
   3. Select the Windows PE x86 Settings tab and click Generate a Generic Windows PE WIM File.
   4. Enter an Image Description such as Offline Troubleshooting.
   5. Select Generate a generic bootable ISO image.
   6. Enter an ISO file name such as Troubleshooting_Disc.iso.
   7. Next to Extra Directory to Add enter the path to the folder where you saved the malware and troubleshooting tools in task 3.
   8. Set the scratch space size to: 128.
   9. Click on OK.
   10. Right click on the Deployment Share and choose Update Deployment Share.
   11. Click on Next two times, and then click Finish.
   12. Burn the iso image file to a CD-ROM or DVD, it will be located in a directory called Boot folder in the deployment share folder, e.g. c:\Deploymentshare\Boot folder\Troubleshooting_Disc.iso.

Your troubleshooting disc is ready to go, when you boot the stricken system the system drive is X:, and you’ll find your troubleshooting tools in the root of that drive.

This brief article has only brushed the surface of what’s available in MDT, if you have to manage more than a few PCs or if you have to install Windows frequently then you should look at what else it has to offer. MDT greatly simplifies the tasks involved in creating and maintaining installation images and deploying those images to different computers.

Kurt Dillard

kurtdillard.com

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TIME MACHINE 5200 .

Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.

Locate and then click the following entry in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\NoDriveTypeAutorun

Right-click NoDriveTypeAutoRun, and then click Modify.

In the Value data box, type 0xFF to disable all types of drives. Or, to selectively disable specific drives, use a different value as described in the “How to selectively disable specific Autorun features” section.

Click OK, and then exit Registry Editor.

Restart the computer.

hello, i recently purchased windows 7 for my father because of all the problems he has had with vista, everything is fine with the package only windows media player now doesnt recognise that we have a cd/dvd burner drive built in to our laptop. it simply says connect a burner and restart, please could you offer some advice or help please

I fielded a question like this recently for a desktop computer. Her problem could have been either hardware- or driver-related, but in your case, since you just upgraded, I’m certain it’s driver related.

Windows 7 includes drivers for most computer hardware. However, I’ve upgraded many computers from Vista to 7, and most of them are missing at least one driver. However, your computer manufacturer has probably created drivers for you.

So, go to your computer manufacturer’s website (hp.com for HP, dell.com for Dell, etc) and find the Support or Downloads section. Look up your specific model of computer, and download and install any Windows 7 drivers. Try to access the CD/DVD after you restart your computer.

If you’re still having problems, open Device Manager:

Click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter.

Do any devices show with a yellow exclamation icon? That means those drivers have a problem. Without more information I can’t point you to the specific drivers. Instead, try Googling your computer model and the device, such as “Dell T3400 DVD driver”.

Let me know how it turns out. Good luck!

If you’re missing the Aero glass effects and 3D-flip in Windows Vista or Windows 7, here’s how you can fix it.

First, are you using the Home Premium, Enterprise, Professional, or Ultimate editions? Good, because the Home Basic and Starter editions don’t support Aero. If you’re not sure, click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties. The edition of Windows 7 is under Windows edition near the top of the window.

Next, make sure you’re using an Aero theme:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Appearance and Personalization.

3. Click Personalization.

4. Click one of the Aero themes.

Problem solved? If not, make sure that your graphics card is powerful enough for Aero by checking the WEI. It needs to be 3.0 or higher. If it’s lower, you’ll need to upgrade your graphics card to take advantage of Aero. If you’re using a laptop computer, you’ll need to upgrade your whole computer. Don’t sweat it, though–Aero isn’t anything you can’t live without.

Once you’ve verified that your graphics card meets the hardware requirements, you should also verify that the video driver is WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model). Basically, that means the driver was developed specifically for Windows Vista or Windows 7. Visit your video card manufacturer’s website (or your computer manufacturer’s website) and download the latest Windows Vista or Windows 7 driver. Not sure what type of video card you have? Click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and expand the Display Adapters node. It’ll be listed within.

So, you’ve enabled an Aero theme and your graphics card is up to the task. Next, make sure the Themes service is started:

1. Click Start. Right-click Computer and then click Manage.

2. Select the Services and Applications\Services node.

3. In the details pane, click the Themes service. If it doesn’t say Started, that’s the problem. Right-click it and then click Properties. Set the Startup type to Automatic, and then click the Start button. Click OK.

Aero should start right away. If not, follow the steps at the beginning of this article to make sure you have an Aero theme enabled.

Still not working? Let’s rely on some automated troubleshooting!

If you’re using Windows Vista, run this automated Aero troubleshooter.

If you’re using Windows 7, do this:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.

2. In the upper-right corner, click the Search box. Then, type Aero.

3. Click Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects (as shown at the top of this article).

4. Follow the prompts that appear–hopefully it fixes your problem!

Still not working? Leave a comment below describing the problem and I’ll try and help you out.

Hi, Sandy. Does the CD drive appear in Explorer? For example, if you open My Computer from the Start menu, do you see it there?

Yes, it says : local disk c. You know, this is weird, but today it worked for long enough to burn one disk, then it did the same thing again. when i go to the media player, and set up a burn list, above my playlist where it should say “insert a blank disk”, it says “please plug in a burner, then restart the player to continue.” I have had many problems before, but i have never seen this.I tried going to the microsoft help sites, but they don’t seem to know what i am talking about.Thank you for your response.–sandy

Sandy, it sounds like your CD drive is flaky. That’s a technical term that means there’s probably a loose cable or a short circuit. Do this:

1. If it’s a laptop, remove and re-insert the CD drive (assuming you can). If it’s a desktop, shut down Windows, unplug it, and open the case. Remove the cables from the back of the CD/DVD drive, and then reconnect them. Follow those cables to the motherboard, unplug them, and then plug them back in.

2. Start Windows up. Is your CD/DVD drive visible from My Computer? If so, keep your fingers crossed that it stays that way. Problem solved.

3. If your CD/DVD drive isn’t visible, or if it disappears again, it might be a driver problem. Presumably your CD/DVD drive worked in the past, so maybe we can go back to an earlier version of your driver. Click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and then press Enter.

Device Manager appears.

4. Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives. Right-click your drive and then click Properties (as shown below).

5. On the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver (as shown below, if it’s available).

6. Follow the prompts that appear, and restart your computer if required.

If your CD works now, great. If not, you probably have failed hardware. Don’t worry, they’re cheap. You can get them any most computer electronic stores, or order one on Amazon–like this USB drive for $20. You won’t even have to re-open your computer case to install it.

Let me know how it goes!

…and Sandi did let me know:

i just wanted to let you know that the actions you prefered me to take, worked. and i also wanted to tell thank you!!! you were a real big help. i wrote down the web addy that you gave me, just in case it happens again. again, thank you!!!

I have a popular post on troubleshooting startup problems. Problem is, I only cover how to troubleshoot software problems. If your computer is beeping and Windows doesn’t even begin to load, then you’ve got yourself a hardware problem.

The beeping at startup is the computer’s way of telling you that something is wrong. If the computer doesn’t do anything at startup, well, that’s also a good sign that something is wrong. Let’s figure out what it is, based on the symptoms.

You See the Windows Logo but Windows Doesn’t Start

Good news–you’ve got a software-related problem. OK, it’s not great news, but it’s easier to fix than a hardware problem. Follow these steps.

Basic Troubleshooting

Is it plugged in? <– Nerd joke

First, undo anything you’ve changed recently. If you’ve been fooling around in the BIOS settings (for example, by overclocking), change it back (if you can access the BIOS). You might try restoring the settings to their default.

Next, unplug any optional hardware. That includes webcams, soundcards, remote controls, and especially USB drives. Leave your video card and keyboard plugged in. If your computer starts, one of your hardware components is flakey. Reconnect them one-by-one until the computer fails again. You’ve then identified the problem component.

If your computer won’t start with just a video card and keyboard, open the case up. Keep a hand touching a metal part of the case to minimize static electricity. Then re-seat the computer’s memory (shown below left) and all internal cards (shown below right). Re-seating means to remove the component completely and then re-connect it. It’s a good way to re-establish any connections that have shaken loose. Also, disconnect any hard disks and reconnect them. For now, leave the CPU in place. Try and start your computer again. If it works, yay! If not, we know that an internal component has failed.

Look around your motherboard for a small watch battery. Make note of the model number, then run to a pharmacy or Radio Shack and buy a replacement. These little batteries keep power to your computer when it’s turned off. It’s responsible for the system clock and some parts of the memory. If the battery gets low, your computer can behave unpredictably. The battery might not be the problem, but they’re cheap and you need to replace them occasionally anyway, so it’s a good place to start.

Still not working, eh. What’s happening?

Nothing Happens–No Video, No Beeping, Nothing

Good news–your data is safe on the hard disk.

OK, first question–are any fans or lights coming on? If not, you’ve probably got a bad power supply. The power supply is the box inside your computer that the power plug goes into. They die regularly, especially if you have flakey power and you don’t keep your computer plugged into an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). Figure out how many watts your current power supply is, buy a replacement with at least as many watts, and swap it out. It’s not too hard and shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes. You could also take it to a computer repair shop.

It could also be your motherboard, memory, or CPU, however. Testing individual components requires specialized equipment, so you’re better off taking it to a repair shop. Or, do what I did recently, and just buy a new computer and move the hard disk over. In my case, a new (and faster) computer was only about $250, and I had it up and running in an hour.

A BIOS Error Appears

That error is a good clue! At least you know your motherboard, CPU, and video card are (mostly) working. Try googling the error along with the make and model of your computer (such as “Dell Precision T3400 0xe4″).

No Video, One Short Beep

The BIOS thinks everything is working. It can communicate with the memory and CPU just fine, and there’s power. So, who are you to argue?

Your computer might actually be starting just fine, but you can’t see it. If you don’t have any video, try re-seating your video card. Check the video cord and its connection to your computer. Make sure the monitor is turned on and that it’s connected to your computer. Try connecting a different monitor.

No Video, One Long Beep

You’ve probably grown to hate that beep by now, haven’t you? Well, different computers have different beep codes, but one long beep generally means the computer couldn’t even communicate a more specific code. The power could be insufficient, in which case you need a new power supply. Or, there could be a short circuit in the motherboard, memory, CPU, or any cards you have connected. A computer repair shop can test the individual components, or you can try swapping parts with a working computer to figure out what’s broken.

No Video, Multiple Beeps

The BIOS is alive and it wants to tell you something! Different computers speak different beep languages, and you’re not C3PO. To know what the beeps mean, you need to know the type of BIOS you have. The name of the BIOS is displayed when your computer first starts, but if you don’t remember what it says, look around your motherboard for “AMI”, “Award”, or “Phoenix”. Then, look-up the number of beeps for your BIOS type in the following tables*:

* The solutions represent my best guess about what to do. The codes aren’t always accurate–your computer is malfunctioning, after all. Often it’s easier just to replace a part than to try and fix it. Also, sorry about the formatting! I’m doing the writing in Microsoft Word and then trying to paste it in here. Turns out, that’s a terrible idea.

AMI

AST

Beeps	Problem	Solution
1 short	Low level processor verification test failed	Replace the CPU, then replace the motherboard
2 short	Clearing keyboard controller buffers failed	Replace the keyboard, then replace the motherboard
3 short	Keyboard controller reset failed	Replace the keyboard, then replace the motherboard
4 short	Low level keyboard controller interface test	Replace the keyboard, then replace the motherboard
5 short	Reading data from keyboard controller failed	Replace the keyboard, then replace the motherboard
6 short	System board support chip initialization failed	Replace the motherboard
7 short	Processor register read/write verify test failed	Replace the CPU, then the motherboard
8 short	CMOS timer initialization failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
9 short	ROM BIOS checksum test failed	Replace the motherboard
10 short	Initialize primary video	Replace the video card
11 short	8254 timer channel 0 test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
12 short	8254 timer channel 1 test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
13 short	8254 timer channel 2 test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
14 short	CMOS power-on and time test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
15 short	CMOS shutdown byte test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
1 long, 0 short	DMA channel 0 test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
1 long, 1 short	DMA channel 1 test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
1 long, 2 short	DMA page register test failed	Replace the watch battery on the motherboard, then the motherboard/CPU
1 long, 3 short	Keyboard controller interface test failed	Replace the keyboard, then replace the motherboard
1 long, 4 short	Memory refresh toggle test failed	Replace the memory
1 long, 5 short	First 64 KB memory test failed	Replace the memory
1 long, 6 short	Setup interrupt vector table failed	Replace the motherboard, then the CPU
1 long, 7 short	Video initialization failed	Replace the video card
1 long, 8 short	Video memory test failed	Replace the video card

AWARD

Beep Code	Descriptions
1 long, 2 short	Indicates a video error has occurred and the BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional information
Any other beep(s)	>RAM problem.

Phoenix

Well then, I hope that helped! Feel free to add a comment if you need more help.

I have problems with my vista laptop, ive always had the same problem!!! if I do a windows update then it doesn’t restart afterwards.

I got round this by not doing updates but recently i did it by accident and now it wont restart, a couple of months ago when i did it then a guy took it back 24hrs and it solved the problem however im having trouble doing it this time.

Do you have any suggestions/instructions for me?

PS, I’m a DJ and I need this lappy tomorrow night

I wrote back to Charlie asking some follow-up questions (like, I need to know how far into the startup process his computer gets), and he says it’s getting to the logon prompt and then restarting.

We know that installing a Windows Update shouldn’t stop your computer from booting… So there’s probably something corrupt with his system. I’d try this (and stop once Windows starts correctly):

1. Attempt to activate Last Known Good. As your computer restarts (before the Windows logo appears) press F8 repeatedly. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to select Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER. If this doesn’t work, try restarting your computer and trying again.

2. Use Startup Repair.

3. Use System Restore.

4. Restore from backup–if you have a recent backup.

5. If you don’t have a backup, re-install Windows over your current installation without formatting your hard disk. You’ll need to re-install your applications, which is a pain, but at least you won’t lose your documents!

If steps 1-4 fix it, do this: run your anti-malware (also known as anti-spyware or anti-virus) software and do a thorough scan of your computer. If you don’t have any good anti-malware, install some! There’s a good chance malicious software has messed up your computer, and that’s what’s preventing you from installing updates.

Hope that helps–let me know!

Before doing a System Restore, I’d try running Startup Repair. Then, do this:

1. If you’re using Windows 7, your computer might automatically prompt you to perform a Startup Repair or to load the Windows Recovery Environment. Do this first. If it doesn’t work, continue following these steps.

2. Restart the computer from the Windows Vista or Windows 7 DVD (the computer must be configured to start from CD/DVD), and start setup.

3. When prompted, click Repair your computer.

4. Startup Repair will automatically detect a problem. When prompted, click Repair and restart, and then restart your computer from the Windows DVD. If Startup Repair does not automatically detect a problem, continue to the next step.

5. When prompted, click Repair Your Computer.

6. Click System Restore from the System Recovery Options.

7. Follow the prompts that appear to restore your system configuration to an earlier state.

8. When prompted, remove the Windows DVD and restart your computer normally.

If the problems still don’t disappear, you can repeat the process and choose an earlier System Restore date. If it still doesn’t work–I hope you made a backup! If so, you can restore your computer from a system image.

When I plug the headphones into my iPhone, there’s no background noise–just perfect silence.

So, I went searching for a solution to the problem. Turns out, it’s not a software update or a configuration problem. I just have a cheap sound card. All sound cards introduce some level of noise (though my iPhone doesn’t seem to) and cheaper sound cards introduce more noise than better-quality sound cards.  Being a laptop, my computer has the sound card built into the motherboard, which makes it prone to this type of background noise.

If this were a desktop, I could simply add a better-quality sound card and plug my headphones or speakers into it. With a laptop/notebook/mobile computer, I need to add an external sound card or USB headphones (as described later). Check the reviews–some are better quality than others.

This problem also extended to recording. I regularly record voice-overs for instructional videos, and I had a seemingly incurable problem with background noise. When I bought a digital microphone (which uses a USB connection rather than the mic-in port), the background noise disappeared. Because I wasn’t using the analog microphone port on my laptop anymore, it wasn’t subject to the motherboard-induced background noise. The headset I bought also had headphones, and those headphones were immune to the background noise, too.

Moral of the story: if you hear noise when you plug a mic, headphones, or speakers into your computer, use a USB connection instead of the built-in analog connection.

Hi Tony

I have Windows Vista Ultimate. For some reason right-clicking Computer has no effect, so how do I enter the product key?

Regards

Peter

Answer:
Well, that’s a weird one. I assume you can right-click other things?

Well, there’s another path to open the System control panel:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. Click System And Maintenance.

3. Click System.

Now, you can access the Windows Activation settings at the bottom of the page.

I just purchased a dv6500 notebook direct from HP. Before I bought it, the sales guy on the phone assured me that this laptop included a TPM chip, and thus could run Bitlocker. I bought the system with Home Basic, and then installed a copy of Ultimate (which I bought from my university for half the price HP was charging to install it), and partitioned my drive accordingly. However, the bitlocker application says that I do not have a TPM chip.

After several calls to HP, most involving supervisors and managers, I was told by technical suppport that they had never heard of TPM or Bitlocker. Finally, I found someone who would tell me that “the hardware requirements for Bitlocker are met on your notebook”. He, another sales associate whom I called, both said that the TPM chip is installed on all dv6500 notebooks.

However, since I installed the copy of Ulimate myself after purchase, HP will not help resolve any issues that are within Vista Ultimate, nor will they provide any support for me. 

Thank you for any assistance you can provide,

Chris

Answer:

First let me say that I’m NOT a fan of HP tech support… but that’s not going to help you.

In all liklihood, you do have a TPM chip. Try restarting your computer and entering the BIOS setup. TPM chips are almost always turned off in the BIOS by default, because most people don’t use them. So, turn it on, restart Vista, and see if BitLocker can see the TPM chip.

If BitLocker still can’t see the TPM chip, check the HP website for updated TPM drivers (which might be confusingly labelled as something about security).

I hope that helps, and good luck.

Hello Tony:

Well, here’s one for you…

I purchased Windows Vista and a brand spankin’ new computer a month ago.  Needless to say, it’s bee harried at best!

Well, anywho, here’s the problem now:

Periodically (often, but not always), when I try to get online via email or internet (I have DSL), a window pops up and says “unknown error” and won’t let me get connect.

THEN a window comes up and asks me if I want to let the computer try to diagnose the problem.  I say yes. Then it says that I have more than one network connected or something like that and that I need to unplug one of them for 10 seconds….

Well, I don’t have more than one connection. So, I go into the place where you “repair network settings…” It doesn’t work, but I see my network listed, then another one called “unidentified network” listed! This isn’t all the time.

Well, after much on/off trying to get onto the internet, eventually, a window comes up and asks me if I want the computer to try to “reset” or repair or something like that, my network settings. I say yes, and it repairs. Then I can go online. Any answers?

D

Answer: Heya, Diane. First, let me say, “Ugh”.

Microsoft made a whole lot of changes to networking,  and they don’t all work well. They also added “Windows Network Diagnostics”–that’s the component that’s prompting you to diagnose and repair the problem. Apparently it’s helping some, but clearly it’s still a nuisance.

First, the bad news. There may be no real fix for the problem your having. You mention it’s a brand spanking new computer–it’s counter-intuitive, but that actually means it’ll be less reliable, because all the problems haven’t been worked out yet.

You might be able to find a fix, though. Visit your computer manufacturer’s website, and look for driver updates (especially if they’re for your network adapter). Install them, and reboot your computer. Check back every couple of weeks for some new updates.

I wish I had a better fix, but I hope that at least helps you understand the situation. Good luck with it.

Hi there, i’m having some trouble with my Vista search function. it has suddenly stopped working. When i use the search in the start menu, i get this message “search failed to initialize”. When i try opening the the “search window”, nothing happens when i press enter. Please help!

Answer:

Hi, Elliott. While I haven’t seen that problem and I can’t find any known solutions, this will probably work:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2.  Click System And Maintenance.

3. Click Indexing Options.

4. Click the Advanced buttons, and respond to the User Account Control prompt.

5. On the Advanced Options dialog, click Rebuild. Then, click OK.

I hope that fixes your problem. If not, let me know–there’s a couple other things we can try.

I cannot open any WMV sent to me. I see a one shot preview but that is all. Then I get is a pop up that states I have no rights or proxy setting s are wrong or file location not correct. Everything looks ok to me.

Regards, Steve

Answer:

Hi, Steve. Is Windows Media Player opening the WMV file? If not, follow these steps:

1. Save the WMV file to your disk.

2. Then, right-click it, click Open With, and then click Choose Default Program.

3. On the Open With dialog, click Windows Media Player, and then click OK.

If Windows Media Player is opening the file, it’s probably a problem with the file or shortcut that the person is sending you. Some WMV files, especially those that might be included with spam, require you to pay for licensing and you won’t be able to open them without paying (and if you do pay, you probably won’t get anything worthwhile).

You could also try using a different different Media Player. I like Media Player Classic.

If you’re still having problems, send me the exact error message and a copy of the video file, and I’ll take another look.

Tony, I am still using Windows 98 on one of my old computers (I just like 98!) and I have been unable to download for quite a while. I have spent hours on the Microsoft web site trying to resolve this issue but nothing has worked! I found your “fix” on your website for Vista where you referred to chris123nt.com. I copied the fix but, when I tried to import it into Windows 98, I got this message “Cannot import file. The specified file is not a registry script. You can only import registry files”.

I guess in my haste I should have determined if this would fix would work in Windows 98?  Do you know if it would and, if so, how do I import it.  If it doesn’t work, do you have any idea where I could find the proper fix?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. I have been using XP for the past 4 years and I want to buy a new computer but I have been hesitant because I am afraid some of my old (irreplacable) programs will not work with Vista. Have they finally worked out all of the “bugs” that I have been reading about?

Answer:

Hi, Joe. You’re referring to this post.

First, I don’t know if it will work in Windows 98–I suppose it depends more on the version of Internet Explorer you’re using. It’s worth a shot though. If Win98 won’t handle the .reg file (I really don’t remember, after all, it’s like 9 years old :) ), you can make the changes manually by following these steps (I’m trying to remember the 98 user interface, so forgive me if I make a mistake):

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. Type regedit, and then press Enter. If that doesn’t open the Registry Editor, try running regedt32.

3. Select HKEY_CLASSES\.xml. In the right pane, double-click Perceived Type, and set it to “text”.

4. Select HKEY_CLASSES\.xml\OpenWithList\winword.exe.  Delete any values.

5. Select HKEY_CLASSES\.xml\PersistentHandler\. Double-click the (Default) value, and set it to “{7E9D8D44-6926-426F-AA2B-217A819A5CCE}”.

Hope that helps!

Hi,
I tried to load a FoxPro for DOS exe file into vista that has been running quite well on a XP machine for some time.   Since I will now be using a  USB printer  (epson stylus photo rx580)  I need to run a batch file to initiate  “net use LPT1 \\<computer name>\ <printer name> then place the batch file on the desktop (the batch file will invoke my foxpro exe file also).  Will I each time I want to run the batch file have to right click it and then click <run as administor> ?
On just running the exe file  it loaded a foxuser.dbf file on the desktop each time. Is this normal and can I prevent this?

Answer:

Hiya, Jack.

You can configure a batch file to always run as an administrator (after a UAC prompt, of course) by creating a shortcut to it and then configuring that shortcut to run as an administrator, as I described in the article “Always Run A Batch File As An Administrator”.

FoxPro is creating the FoxUser.dbf file on your desktop because it automatically uses the current directory. Because you’re running it from the desktop, that’s where it’s saving the user settings file. If I were you, I’d just move the batch file to a different directory (say, “C:\Program Files\FoxPro\”), and then create a shortcut to the batch file on the desktop–that should fix the problem. Or, you could just ignore the FoxUser.dbf file.

 Dear Tony,

Thanks very much four your excellent site. It has already provided some invaluable help in the last few days.

I was wondering if you might be aware of a solution to this problem.

Whenever I try to add an application to the Quick Launch toolbar, Windows Explorer crashes. This is the error message I get:

Problem signature:

  Problem Event Name:                        APPCRASH

  Application Name:                             Explorer.EXE

  Application Version:                           6.0.6000.16386

  Application Timestamp:                     4549b091

  Fault Module Name:                          SHELL32.dll

  Fault Module Version:                        6.0.6000.16386

  Fault Module Timestamp:                  4549bdb4

  Exception Code:                                  c0000005

  Exception Offset:                                0029b83f

  OS Version:                                          6.0.6000.2.0.0.768.3

  Locale ID:                                             2057

  Additional Information 1:                  8d13

  Additional Information 2:                  cdca9b1d21d12b77d84f02df48e34311

  Additional Information 3:                  8d13

  Additional Information 4:                  cdca9b1d21d12b77d84f02df48e34311

I’m using a Sony Vaio laptop, model VGN AR31M.

If you’ve got any tips for me, they’d be much appreciated. Many thanks,

Dariush.

Answer:

I didn’t have an answer for Dariush, but I asked for a follow-up if they figured the problem out on their own. The answers are more of a work-around than a fix, but they should allow you to add shortcuts to your Quick Launch bar again:

Hi again Tony,

It looks as though there’s been a development in the situation.

Yesterday, I just locked and unlocked the toolbar a few times. Then I de-selected and selected the Quick Launch toolbar a few times… and then when I tried to drag an icon into the Quick Launch toolbar, it suddenly worked!

I have no idea why the problem sorted itself out, but that’s exactly what it appears to have done.

Strange.

Thanks again for your help,

Dariush.

And:

It’s not exactly a solution but this is how I did it when the same thing happened to me the other day.

1. Open Computer and right click in the address bar and select Edit Address.
2. Type %appdata% and press Enter.
3. Then double click Microsoft, Internet Explorer and finally Quick Lauch.
4. Copy your shortcut and place it in this folder. It’ll appear in the Quick Launch Toolbar.

Hi Tony

Since a few days I have a very weird problem

When I try open the helpfiles I receive an error saying that internet explorer can’t find the files (see attached screenshot error1)

I use Firefox 2 as default browser

First I thought it was because of that but even after I put IE as default browser again I received the same error

Do you have any idea what I could do to get that fixed?

Best Regards

Answer:

My original answer didn’t work (it’s below, in case it’s still useful to someone), so I did some more research and found Kristan Kenney’s blog, which says:

If you have been getting the dreaded “Internet Explorer cannot download / from help” error message when attempting to open Help and Support in Windows Vista, try this fix. It re-associates the .xml file type with its default settings. Once you’ve merged this into the registry, re-launch Help and Support and it should work.

You can download the fix at http://www.chris123nt.com/guides/RTM_Fixes/Fix_Help_and_Support.zip.

Hope this helps!

The fix is just a .reg file that udpates the registry. Here’s what the .reg file looks like (in case it disappears in the future):

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.xml]
@=”xmlfile”
“Content Type”=”text/xml”
“PerceivedType”=”text”

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.xmlOpenWithList]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.xmlOpenWithListwinword.exe]
@=”"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.xmlPersistentHandler]
@=”{7E9D8D44-6926-426F-AA2B-217A819A5CCE}”

Unfortunately, it looks like this is a very common problem. Hopefully Microsoft will release an official fix soon. Looks like this fixed the reader’s problem:

Hi Tony

YES that did it :) :) :)

You are the greatest. THANKS a lot for the help

You’re welcome :). Here’s my original response (which didn’t solve the problem):

Heya. I haven’t seen that error, but I’d like you to try a couple of things and get back to me. First, try clearing your Internet Explorer cache by followign these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer. Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, under Browsing history, click Delete.
3. On the Delete Browsing History dialog, under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Files. Under History, click Delete History.
4. Click OK twice. Close Internet Explorer.

Now, try to open Help again. If it works, you’re done.

If it still doesn’t work, let’s do one more thing to try and delete the history:

1. Log on using a different user account.
2. Click Start and type Cmd. Right-click Cmd on the Start menu, and then click Run As Administrator. Respond to the UAC prompt that appears.
3. Type the following commands (where username is the name of your regular user account):
   cd “UsersusernameAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5″
   del index.dat
4. Restart your computer.

Hopefully, it’ll work then. Let us know how it turns out (you can send an e-mail or add a comment).