We like Windows 7: it's faster than Vista, makes better use of your system resources, is packed 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 then you might have noticed various upgrade problems, interface issues and features that seem to have disappeared entirely, among many other complications with the new system.
Don't despair, though - while these problems can be really frustrating, answers are beginning to appear. We've uncovered some of the best and most effective solutions around, so follow our guide and your Windows 7 installation will soon be back on track.
1. Vista upgrade hangs at 62%
Windows 7 can start causing problems before it's even installed, as many people report their upgrade hangs forever at 62%. Which is annoying.
Reboot, and your PC should roll back to Windows Vista. You can then open the setup log file \$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\setupact.log to view what happened. Microsoft say this is usually caused because the Iphlpsvc service has stopped responding, and just adding an environment variable to ignore it will fix the problem. Point your browser at http://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 the setup log for other clues. And you might also try to boot and install from the Windows 7 disc, 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't install 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 the BIOS and using the standard driver.
The standard solution here is to run REGEDIT, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\, then delete both UpperFilters and LowerFilters in the right-hand pane (UpperFilters.bak and LowerFilters.bak entries can be ignored).
No change? Resetting the drive letter has worked for some. Click Start, type Disk Management 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 Change and choose a new letter. If the drive is now visible in Explorer, then repeat the process to change 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 Aero theme 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 to launch the Aero troubleshooting wizard. It'll try to identify and resolve and problems. And if 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't work for you, then launch REGEDIT, browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM and make sure EnableAeroPeek is set to 1, rather than 0.
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 a genuine productivity boost. But if you find windows moving around when you don't expect it then Aero Snap is more of an annoyance than anything else, though at least it's one you can disable in just a few seconds.
Launch Control Panel, click Ease of Access, and select either "Change how your mouse works" or "Change how your keyboard works". Then browse down to the "Make it easier to 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 go anywhere unless you specifically command it.
5. iPhone won't sync in Windows 7
Irritated iPhone users are beginning to report major difficulties in getting their iPhone to sync with Windows 7 systems. Particularly 64-bit Windows 7 systems, based around the P55 chipset. The iPhone is usually (though not always) recognised, but iTunes then complains that it can't connect to the unit because of an "unknown error", usually (though again, not always) 0xE8000065.
Disabling USB power management appears to be one solution. Click Start, type DEVMGMT.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 each USB Root Hub entry in turn, select Properties > Power Management, and clear "Allow the computer 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 of luck 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 a system icon like Computer or the Recycle Bin then that could disappear, replaced by the equivalent icon from the theme pack.
To prevent this, right-click an empty part of the desktop, select Personalize > Change Desktop Icons, clear the "Allow themes to change desktop icons" box and click OK. Your icons will now be preserved, and the only way to change them will be manually, from the same Desktop Icons dialogue.
Your comments (33) Click to add a new comment
diolt
January 13th
33. They are really common issues people complaining. Thanks for raising the nice solution.
Regards
<a href="http://www.diolt.com">Diolt Directory</a>
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mohandesk1
August 19th 2011
32. hi
I want turn the iis on on my w7,but it freezes at the last step and make me reboot.
i have Nod32 antivirus, is this the prooblem?
is it maybe because of the hardware?
thank you all,
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anant1948
July 8th 2011
31. I need a solution for the following problem :
Details of the system :- Duo Core 3.2, 32 bit Operating system, 2 MB Ram; E.5800 @ 3.20 Ghz
HDD 500 GB - 5 partitions
Multi boot - XP 7 Vienaa on C: drive and Windows 7 on D: drive
On C:\ all application softwares installed on Drive F, excepting those which get installed on C: drive by default:
When a directory listing is viewed in Windows 7 [D:drive], only four drives get detected. Drive F: which has all the application softwares does not get detected and as such not available for access.
How can this position be rectified to get access to all the Drives without exception ?
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anant1948
July 8th 2011
30. I need a solution for the following problem faced by one of my relations:
Details of the system :- Duo Core 3.2, 32 bit Operating system, 2 MB Ram; E.5800 @ 3.20 Ghz
HDD 500 GB - 5 partitions
Multi boot - XP 7 Vienaa on C: drive and Windows 7 on D: drive
On C:\ all application softwares installed on Drive F, excepting those which get installed on C: drive by default:
When a directory listing is viewed in Windows 7 [D:drive], only four drives get detected. Drive F: which has all the application softwares does not get detected and as such not available for access.
How can this position be rectified to get access to all the Drives without exception ?
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bajji15
May 20th 2011
29. Hi..while installing window7 operating system am facing a problem.After clicking on install button a dialogbox appears of asking which partition to install new 1 and the problem is all partitions showing dynamic type and there is none of primary type and while clicking on one by one partition it showing that "we can't install in this partition".The same is showing for all partitions.so please mail me how to change from dynamic to primary...please provide a solution for my problem.
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charliechan
May 6th 2011
28. I have Windows7 on a new Laptop with Real Player plus, YouTube DownloaderHD and Mozilla Firefox yet I am still unable to download videos from the Internet (clips from musicals).
I guess there is a setting somewhere to fix this but I have not found it yet 2 months on from trying. Real networks have given up on me. Anyone here please help ?
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charliechan
May 6th 2011
27. Item No: 18 "How To Disable Hibernation" states: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power and set HIBERNATEENABLED TO ZERO. There is no such file in this Windows 7 location. Now what do I do ? Help anyone please ?
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yurgye
January 27th 2011
26. 2 years ago I eventually changed my PC, from a desktop Dell which I had had since 2001 and which was still working perfectly well albeit slow by current standards fitted with Windows XP, and bought a Sony laptop with up to date spec and performance, on Vista. Worked perfectly well and presented no problems. As I live in 2 places I bought another machine, a Sony all-in-one again fitted with Vista, and again, no problems. 2 months ago, Sony were selling off a particular Touch screen all-in-one PC at a goodly reduced price, so I bought one so as not to have to drag the laptop around to the 2nd address. This machine is fitted with Windows 7, what a disaster. Give me Vista anyday. As soon as I turn on the new PC up comes a little Windows note to say that with 64 bit ( whatever that is ) the print may be too big, so go to a specified place to change. Well, the print is already so small one needs a magnifying glass and the only change one can make is to make it even smaller!!. But the main problem arises with Adobe which pops up more often than not and says to download the version for 64 bit machines, but when one tries it says not yet available and to use a temporary pre-general release version, but when one tries that, it says not available yet, so one is sent round in circles getting no-where, meantime, can't see / read a lot of what one wants to. So a combination of Windows 7, a 64 bit machine is an absolute wash-out and best avoided. I am very disappointed, indeed rather annoyed in having been sold a pup by organisations which should know better.
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ronochu
January 10th 2011
25. Visit this article if you got iTunes problems in Windows 7 : <a rel="dofollow" href="http://windows-7-howto.blogspot.com/2011/01/itunes-for-windows-7-or-vista.html">iTunes for Windows 7 or Vista Troubleshooting</a>
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logistikon
September 29th 2010
24. Hi - I have a few gripes with Windows 7/Internet Explorer 8/9.
1. For some annoying reason, the google toolbar button 'blurs' and 'recolours' when working on a page. Once the mouse hovers over it, it resets to a nice sharp button. Why? Don't get it...
2. For some reason IE9 doesn't allow downloads from ADOBE or uploading of photos to facebook. Again don't know why. I uninstalled IE9 and IE8 allows all of these htings - but still - the google button is blurred...
Andrew
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supernavi
September 13th 2010
23. hi,to all.
i just bought a sony vaio laptop vpcea23en. i installed wifi at my home a few days ago. the problem is whenever i turn on my wifi, and start surfing, my laptop hangs for every 2seconds,the mouse doesnt move and if a song is being played at the background it also freezes suddenly for 2 seconds and then resumes(which is kind a sick,cause of the sound it makes).i have connected my laptop through a lan cable and used the internet but its working fine with that,i have also used internet dongles,but there aint any issue with that, the problem is with wifi.... i have done bios update,i have reinstalled the driver of wifi,i have used the windows recovery and reinstalled the windows but the problem still exists,
i have windows 7 and ie8 plzz help urgently
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fhvned
August 31st 2010
22. My problem with Windows7 is none of my previous microsoft programs will hold default settings once I close them. Word defaults back to all the out-of-the-box settings, no matter what I do. CorelDraw won't save program settings. Internet Explorer running in 32 bit won't open links. In 64 bit it won't open anything that has Adobe Flash components. Every program I have that has settings (photoshop, etc) reverts back to the default settings every time I close and open the program. No matter how many times I tell it not to show the splash screen...... it shows it the next time I open the program.
I hate this version of Windows. I was perfectly fat, dumb and happy running Windows XP and all the programs that worked in it for years until my hard drive stopped working (as a result of a notebook falling off the back of a moving truck.. (don't ask). The only thing I could get came with Windows7 and I had to upgrade several very expensive software programs that proved to be not compatible anymore. Dreamweaver won't insert tables (Had to upgrade to Dreamweaver C5). Nikon transfer tells me my camera is not connected (Funny, it looks like it's connected to me) and the only way I can FTP my sites is in Windows XP Mode.
After starting with MSDos 3.0 on a 286 machine with a 20 mb hard drive, I think my years as a Microsoft person are coming to an end. Time to look at a Mac.
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bmac
August 5th 2010
21. HERE'S AN EASY WAY TO MAKE A PASSWORD RESET DISC. TAKE A CD CASE AND LABEL IT "PASSWORD RESET DISC". GET A DISC AND A SHARPIE AND WRITE YOUR PASSWORD ON IT. PUT THE DISC IN THE CD CASE AND STORE WITH YOUR OTHER DISCS.
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jharlin
July 18th 2010
20. I recently changed from Vista to 7 to resolve a wireless security issue. Ever since I've blue screened 3 times and constantly have to restart Explorer. Microsoft at it's usual.
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peacepipe
June 11th 2010
19. Same/similar problem as cozofdeath. Doing "right-click Delete" of a file seems to fail, second attempt results in error because file's not actually there. Similarly, right-click in folder for New->Text_Document (for example). Nothing appears, do it again, same result. Navigate away from folder and back again, and there sit two empty files named "New Text Document" and "New Text Document(2)".
Anyone know of patch or workaround for this issue? It's driving me nuts.
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cozofdeath
June 2nd 2010
18. I like how it seems fast however 8G of RAM it should be, and the look but I'm having to many bugs. Constantly getting blue screen, restarts, small weird problems like moving files then having several still there after the move but are just ghosts because the originals have already moved. Then you can't access them. Freezes OMG the freezes! Constant exceptions with many programs that run fine on xp. Not to mention having to search for all the new and moved features.
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edelic
May 11th 2010
17. You can make a Windows password reset disk to reset your password:
1. Login to a computer that can link to Internet. Download windows Windows Password Unlocker ( http://www.passwordunlocker.com/products/wpu.html ) and install it on that PC. Note that: there is a .ISO file. Burn the .ISO file to a CD or a USB flash drive.
2. Get out the newly created CD/USB and insert it to the locked computer.
3. re-booted the locked computer (it's necessary for you to change your computer's Setup to make it boot from CD drive or USB drive) and then followed the process of instructions. Just a few steps, the old password was removed.
4. Setting new password.
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djmario
April 20th 2010
16. I recently help a friend load windows 7 clean no upgrade. everything went fine and after loading numerous programs that were compatible we then backed up system on external harddrive. my friend is in another state and he called said that all the programs & icons were gone that we had installed.?? anyone else have this problem??
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digitalzen
April 19th 2010
15. Sorry. That's a Pentium D. Wrong computer.
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