How to Disallow Secret “Customer Experience Improvement Program” Collecting Information in Windows 7

Did you know Windows 7 contains a hidden secret "Customer Experience Improvement Program" which collects information about your computer hardware and how you use Windows without interrupting you? The program also periodically downloads a file to collect information about problems you might have with Windows. In this way, the program helps Microsoft...

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How to Remove Watermark (Build Number Info) from Desktop in Windows Vista, 7 and Server 2008 (Both 32-bit and 64-bit) Including All Beta Builds and Service Packs

UPDATE: New tool "Remove Watermark" added. Thanks to stavros for mentioning it... When we install a Beta or RC build of Windows Vista, 7 or Server 2008, or when we install a Beta or RC version of a Service Pack e.g. SP1, SP2, etc, a watermark is shown on Desktop which looks similar to following screenshot: "Evaluation Copy", "For testing purpose...

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How to Get “Shared Folder Icon” Back in Windows Explorer in Windows 7

Problem: When you use Windows Explorer to view some shared folders on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, the shared type icons for these folders do not appear. Actually shared folders are no longer displayed with a distinctive share overlay icon. All folders are presented with a generic folder icon. Therefore,...

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How to Always Show “More Details” in File Transfer (Cut, Copy, Delete) Dialog Box in Windows Vista and 7

Finally the wait is over! Almost all Windows Vista and 7 users wanted to achieve it. When you cut, copy or delete a file/folder in Windows Vista and 7, it shows a file transfer dialog box. There is a button "More Details" shown in the dialog box which expands the dialog box upon clicking and shows more details like file name, speed, etc. The problem...

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Genuine Windows 7 Became Pirated? Make It Original and Activated Again

Its a common problem which lots of Windows 7 users face. We have received many emails about this problem, so today we are sharing a working solution for it. In fact many Windows 7 SP1 RC users are also facing this problem. Problem Symptom: You were using genuine Windows 7 without any problem. It was activated properly. But one day when you...

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How to Disable / Remove Annoying Shutdown Event Tracker (Shutdown Reason UI) in Windows Server 2003 / 2008?

UPDATE: Tutorial updated with registry method. If you are using Windows Server 2003 or 2008, you might have noticed that whenever you click on Shutdown button, it shows a dialog box asking you the reason behind shutting down the system. You have to select an option from drop-down box or write into Comment box to be able to shutdown the system. Many...

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Microsoft Releases Fixit for Random Incorrect Icon Change Problem in Windows XP, Vista and 7

Microsoft has confirmed an issue in Windows XP, Vista and 7 which causes random incorrect icon change problem due to icon cache not updating correctly. Problem Symptom: Some icons in the following locations are randomly changed to other icons on a computer that is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7: My Computer Windows Explorer Desktop Quick...

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How to Restore / Reinstall All Uninstalled Desktop Gadgets in Windows Vista and 7

We all know that we can uninstall a Desktop gadget in Windows Vista or 7 by opening Desktop Gadget window, right click on any desired gadget and select "Uninstall" option. But once we have uninstalled a gadget, we can't reinstall it. Windows doesn't provide any option to restore the uninstalled gadgets. In this tutorial, we'll tell you a very simple...

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How to Show / Add Accidentally Removed Bluetooth Icon in System Tray?

Today we are going to talk about one of the most annoying problem in Windows! As we know Windows shows "Bluetooth" icon in system tray and if you click on it or right-click on it, it shows a menu. The problem starts when "Remove Icon" option is listed at the bottom of the menu and you click on it accidentally and BOOM!!! The bluetooth icon disappears...

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[FIX] Windows 7 Taskbar Resets to Default Settings If “Automatically Log On” Feature is Enabled

UPDATE: Article re-published because many Windows 7 users are facing this problem, mostly while enabling Quick Launch toolbar and it disappears after a reboot. Some of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 users are facing a weird issue now-a-days. When they log off or restart their Windows 7 computers, Taskbar resets to default settings and forgets all...

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List of Best “Microsoft Fixit” Troubleshooters to Automatically Diagnose and Repair PC Problems

Microsoft has put the best of its Fixit troubleshooters in a single place. Microsoft Fixit troubleshooters help you automatically diagnose and repair problems with common computer problems, such as audio, Internet, and printing problems. If your problems aren't fixed, Fixit troubleshooters provide you with the next steps to take. Simply...

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Microsoft Releases “Fixit” for MHTML Script Injection Vulnerability

Recently Microsoft released Security Advisory 2501696 to alert customers to a publicly disclosed vulnerability in the MHTML protocol handler. This vulnerability could allow attackers to construct malicious links pointing to HTML documents that, when clicked, would render the targeted document and reflected script in the security context of the...

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How to Fix “Do You Want to Open This File?” Security Warning While Opening Start Menu or Taskbar Shortcuts in Windows Vista and 7

Recently one of our reader "Uewd" asked us about following problem: When I open any program in start menu, I get this window: Open file - Security Warning. I can click open and the program I chose will open but why this error occurred? Actually its a known problem in Windows Vista and 7 which occurs because of newly introduced Windows Integrity...

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How to Uninstall Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)?

In this tutorial, we'll tell you how to uninstall Windows 7 SP1 from your system if you are facing any problem after installing it: There are 2 methods to uninstall SP1: Using Control Panel Using Command Prompt Method 1: Using Control Panel 1. Open Control Panel and click on "Programs -> Uninstall a program" if you are using "Category" view. If you are using "Icons" view, click on "Programs and Features" icon. 2. Now click on "View installed updates" link given in left sidebar. 3. Select the "Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB976932)"...

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How to Disable Hardware Acceleration (GPU Rendering) in Mozilla Firefox to Fix Font Problem?

"Hardware Acceleration" (GPU Rendering) is one of the newly introduced feature of Mozilla Firefox 4.0. It was introduced to increase performance but some Firefox users might want to disable it as the text might not look well on their screens. If you also want to disable Hardware Acceleration feature in Firefox, following trick will help you: 1....

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[FIX] Open, Edit and Print Context Menu Items Missing in Windows 7 When 15+ Files Selected

Recently one AskVG reader "G. M. Polard" asked us following question via contact form: Whenever I select more than 15 files or folders in Windows 7 Explorer, I can't see Open, Edit and Print items in context menu. How to fix this problem so that I can perform these operations on 15+ files? Actually its not a problem. Its a feature by design. Microsoft...

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Microsoft Releases Hotfix to Fix a Bug in Windows 7 SP1 When Some Files in USB Drivers are not Updated

This bug is found in those Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 systems which were upgraded to SP1 manually, i.e. you installed Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 without SP1 first and then manually upgraded to your system to SP1 by running its installer. If you are using a slipstream version of Windows 7 SP1 or Server 2008 R2 SP1, this bug will not occur in your system. SYMPTOM: Official words from Microsoft: After you install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1), binary files in some USB drivers are not updated....

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[FIX] Windows 7 Deletes All System Restore Points Upon Reboot

Recently Microsoft identified a bug in Windows 7 and provided a solution for it. Following are the details: SYMPTOM: Upon each reboot, Windows 7 may delete all System Restore Points. CAUSE: This issue can occur if the system paging file is highly fragmented. SOLUTION: The resolution to this issue is to disable, delete and then recreate the paging file. To do this, carry out the following steps: 1. Right-click on Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press WIN + Pause/Break keys). Now click on Advanced system settings...

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[FIX] Computer Freeze or Restart to a BSOD having “0xc0000034″ Error Message after Installing Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows 7 or Server 2008 R2

SYMPTOM: Consider the following scenario: You install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on a computer. You install some other updates before you restart the computer to complete the installation process. Or, the service pack is installed at the same time as other updates by using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). In this scenario, the computer may stop responding or restart. If the computer restarts, you receive an error message that resembles the following on a black screen: 0xC0000034 Note:...

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