Change the size of virtual memory

     If you receive warnings that your virtual memory is low, you'll need to increase the minimum size of your paging file. Windowssets the initial minimum size of the paging file at the amount of random access memory (RAM) installed on your computer plus 300 megabytes (MB), and the maximum size at 3 times the amount of RAM installed on your computer. If you see warnings at these recommended levels, then increase the minimum and maximum sizes.

- Open System by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clickingSystem.

- In the left pane, click Advanced system settings. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

- On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.

- Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.

- Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.

- Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.

- Click Custom size, type a new size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.

     Increases in size usually don't require a restart, but if you decrease the size, you'll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. We recommend that you don't disable or delete the paging file.

How to enable AHCI mode in Windows 7

Boot in IDE mode, and copy the following into notepad, and save as a .reg file. Then double click on it, and okay it to install.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\msahci]

 "Start"=dword:00000000

Reboot (important!), and set AHCI mode (important! must be done before trying to install the performance driver).

Then download and install (or download beforehand) the Intel AHCI performance driver:
http://www.station-drivers.com/telec...ivers.com).exe
(its also for RAID etc).

Its on http://www.station-drivers.com/page/intel%20raid.htm

Don't download the 11.x series yet, they're alpha (pre-beta) and unstable. The 11.0.x is somewhat stable (seemingly) but are several months older than the 10.8's, which seem to work better anyway (they're the proper Intel released ones).

Reboot.

Credit: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=354428

Activate Telnet in Windows 7

1. Open command prompt. Just type "cmd" into the Start Menu, without quotes, and press enter.

2. Type telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl and press Enter

3. Wait a few moments while your computer connects to the site

4. Enjoy! You are currently watching Star Wars IV: A New Hope in ASCII!

Turn on Remote Desktop in Windows 7

Remote Desktop is disabled by default in Windows 7 but it’s easy to turn it back on.

Important note: Remote desktop is only included in the Professional, Business, or Ultimate versions of Windows. Home editions do not have remote desktop.

To get to the configuration page, you can either right-click the Computer icon and choose properties, or you can type in system into the start menu search box, and then find the entry for System.

Now you’ll want to click the Remote Settings link on the left hand side:

Now you can finally turn it on:

To connect from another Vista / Win7 PC on the same network, click the bottom radio button. If you need to connect from an XP/2k machine, click the “Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop” radio button.

Don’t worry about setting up firewall rules, Vista or Windows 7 does that for you automatically.

Credit : http://www.howtogeek.com

How to share an Internet connection via WiFi in Windows 7

     You have Windows 7 operating system and want to enjoy your high speed Internet connection on many computers or you want to share it with your friends who live nearby you? We will show you how to use this functionality in Windows 7 with the help of Connectify. This software will indeed transform your computer into an internet access point, the only thing you need is a WiFi card. Here are the steps you have to follow to make this work:

Step 1: Make sure first that your WiFi card is enabled by going to Control Panel, Network and Internet, View Network computers and devices, right click on your WiFi card and then choose Enable. If you WiFi card is already enabled don’t change anything and continue to next step.

Step 2: Download Connectify for Windows 7.

Step 3: Run the installation file and accept the license agreement, the installation in simple and only takes a few seconds. During installation your computer will probably have to restart few times so don’t worry about that.

Step 4: Now once installation is finished, start Connectify. If an update for Connectify is available, make sure you download it and update the software. Then run the program.

Step 5: Your previously enabled wireless device is automatically detected. Then you must enter the name of your wireless network.

Step 6: A password of at least 8 characters is required. This will serve users to connect to youraccess point.

Step 7: Once the password is set, below password field you will have to choose which internet connection you want to share, click on dropdown men and select one.

Step 8: Then click Star a Hotspot button. It may take a minute or two until its setup.

Step 9: Once it’s done. Windows Security Alert may popup, choose Allow Access.

     Here you are now with your own WiFi access point type WPA2-DSK. It is accessible from the list of wireless networks Network and Sharing Center, make sure you provide the password to people you want to share the connection with!

     Note for those users with an Intel WiFi card, a simple driver’s update can in most cases, activate Windows 7 Virtual WiFi so you can benefit from the ability to turn your computer into an Internet Access Point without having to go through Connectify. Also make sure your WiFi network is secure, and always pay attention who is connected on your network and who is using your internet connection.

Top 5 Most Common Windows 7 Problems and How to Fix Them

    Windows 7 is a fairly cool operating system, but like most operating systems it’s not perfect. Some Windows 7 problems are bugs others happen to be features. Either way, they are annoying and all we care for is a quick fix.

    Some of the most commonly reported problems with Windows 7 include compatibility with older programs, slow performance on low-end hardware, and trouble with the Aero theme and its features. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix these annoyances.


1. Windows 7 Seems Slow


     Windows 7 is hungry for resources. It features many visual effects that draw heavy on your graphics card and system memory. If your system was slow out of the box, chances are you can easily fix that by turning off superfluous effects.


Go to > Start and type ‘performance‘ in the search field. Select > ‘Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows‘ from the results. The > Performance Options window will open. Under > Visual Effects select > Adjust for best performance. If you would like to retain a nice interface, select > Custom and check > ‘Use visual styles on windows and buttons‘.

2. Windows Aero Not Working


     You should make sure that your graphics card supports Aero and that graphics driver is up to date. However, if your computer came with Windows 7 this should not be an issue.


Finally, Aero could be disabled in your registry. Before I proceed to explain how to check and edit your registry, I must warn you! Editing the registry can cause permanent damage to your Windows installation. Please backup your registry and know what you’re doing.


Go to > Start and type > ‘regedit‘ into the > search option. Launch regedit and browse to >KEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM. The value of the entry > ‘EnableAeroPeek‘ should be set to 1, rather than 0.

3. Older Programs Not Compatible


     Before upgrading to Windows 7, it is advisable to check which of your programs will be compatible. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor checks the most common programs. Now, if you have already upgraded and if it turns out that a dear program of yours is not compatible, there is a way out: Windows 7 Compatibility Mode.


To install a program in Compatibility Mode, right-click its > installation file and select >Properties. In its > Properties windows switch to the > Compatibility tab, check > ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:‘ and from the > pull-down menu choose the latest version of Windows of which you know that the program was running on.

You may have to repeat this step with the program itself once it is installed. Right-click the >program icon, select > Properties, switch to > Compatibility tab, check > ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:‘, and choose the respective Windows operating system.


Furthermore, you can change the settings for the respective program and you should explore these, depending on the issue you’re facing.

Finally, if you went with Windows 7 Professional or up, you can use Windows 7′s XP Mode. It runs Windows XP as a virtual machine and you can install all programs that worked on Windows XP in this environment. 

4. DVD Drive Not Found


     Windows 7 can not find your optical drive? This is another issue that involves editing the registry. The warning from point 2 applies!


Click > Start, search for > ‘regedit‘ and launch it from the > results. Navigate to > ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class‘. In the > right-hand panel delete > ‘UpperFilters‘ and > ‘LowerFilters‘, restart Windows and see if the problem was resolved.


If not, click > Start, type > Disk Management, and select > ‘Create and format hard disk partitions‘. In the > Disk Management window right-click on the > optical drive icon and select ‘Change Drive Letter and Paths‘. In the > Change Drive Letter and Paths window click the >Change… button and choose a new drive letter. Restart Windows and hope the issue was fixed.

5. New Themes Change Custom Icons


     So you switched themes and found that some of your custom icons where changed? That’s quite annoying, but it’s easy to prevent. Right-click > desktop, select > Personalize, in the control panel windows that opens switch to > Change Desktop Icons, and in the > Desktop Icon Settings window uncheck > ‘Allow themes to change desktop icons‘.

How to enable Away Mode in Windows 7

     Windows Away Mode similar to Sleep and Hibernate Mode, it turns off the power of most equipment to save energy and can be fast woken up to work. But when the computer is in Away Mode, the background tasks such as downloading,recording processes are actually continue to work. 

     Away Mode is designed specifically for scenarios where the user is finished interacting with the computer, but the system must remain powered on to record a TV broadcast or share media files with other systems and devices. For example, the system might be providing access to Windows Media Center Extender or other consumer electronics devices and therefore must remain available even though the user is not interacting with the system at the local console. Away Mode enables a living room media PC to respond to a user’s power-on to power-off requests in the same manner as a television or set-top box that might appear turned off, but actually continues to work.

To enable Away Mode in Windows7 :

Following steps make the Sleep button in Start menu work with the Away Modefunctionality.

Step 1: Go to Start -> search ‘regedit’ (without the quotes). In the Registry Editor, navigate to:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power. In right, right click to create a new DWORD32bit Value called AwayModeEnabledand set its value to 1.

Step 2 : Close the Registry Editor, and go to Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> click "change when the computer sleep" under Power Options -> Change advanced power settings.
Set hard disk never (set the value to 0) to turn off, set wireless adapter power saving mode to Maximum Performance, and never sleep after turn off the display monitor.

Now, click Start -> Sleep and your computer actually goes into Away Mode.

How to setup a Network Connection using Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7

Network and Sharing Center allows you the options to Setup a new connection or network, Connect to a network and share the resources. With a home or small office network, you can share an Internet connection or a printer, view and work with shared files, and play multiple-player computer games.
Let's see how to configure a network:

1. Click the Start button to view the Start Menu and then choose the Control Panel option.

2. The Control Panel window opens up. Click All Control Panel Items.

Window shows All Control Panel Items.

Click Network and Sharing Center, window opens up with the basic network information and showing your active networks.

3. Setup a new connection or network: allows you to setup a wireless, broadband, dial-up, ad hoc, or VPN connection; or set up a router oraccess point.

4. Choose the connection option eg. Connect to the Internet and click Next.

5. Choose the option How you want to connect? eg. Broadband(PPPoE).

You will be prompted to enter User name and Password provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Provide the info. To view your password, check Show characters checkbox. Select Remember this password checkbox if you want this computer to remember your password. Type connection name. To share this connection with others who use this computer you can click Allow other people to use this connection. clickConnect.

If fails to connect the windows opens up as.

If connected successfully, the window looks as below screen shot.

6. Connect to a Network: allows you to connect to an existing network. Click Connect to a Network. The available networks are shown as below.

Choose the connection eg. Broadband Connection and click Connect.

Provide the User name and password and click Connect.

7. Choose homegroup and sharing options: allows you to access files and printers located on other network computers. You can also change sharing settings.

8. Fix a network problem: is useful to diagnose and repair network problems, or get troubleshooting information.

Click Internet Connections -> Next.

Select Can I access a specific web page?

Enter Website address as Google and click Next.

Windows 7 Tutorial

Exploring The Start Menu

In Windows 7 tutorial, we explore the Windows 7 Start Menu. From the Start Menu, you can launch any programs installed on your PC and also search for pictures, videos and music. We'll also demonstrate how to "pin" your favorite programs to the Start Menu or Taskbar.Because the Start Menu is used for launching virtually all the programs and tasks you do on your computer, it's very important to learn how to use it effectively.

Windows In Windows 7

In Windows 7 tutorial, we take a look at working with windows. As you might imagine, this is a core skill to master if you want to become productive with your PC. While some of the material we show in this video will be familiar to those of you who have used previous versions of Windows, Windows 7 brings some handy new tricks of its own which will help you to be more productive when using your PC. Three of these new features are Aero Peek, Aero Snap and Aero Shake.

Navigating Your Personal Folder

In Windows 7 tutorial, we'll demonstrate how to work with files and folders, specifically the personal folders on your computer. Every user account on a Windows 7 machine has several personal folders designed for storing documents, music, pictures, videos and other data you work with. (We'll also be covering user accounts in a later tutorial). Being able to navigate around these folders is an important skill to master. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of folders and files on your PC.

Organizing Files And Folder Using The Context Menu

In Windows 7 tutorial, we'll be using the context menu to move and copy files and folders. The context menu appears when you right click and as its name suggests, it changes depending on what context or situation it appears under. When you have completed this tutorial, you should be confident with copying and moving files and folders around your PC and understand how to create your own folders and organize content on your machine.

Working With Multiple Files And Folders
In Windows 7 tutorial, we'll show you how you can work with multiple files and folders at once. As you become more proficient using your PC, you may start to create and download a large number of files. When dealing with large collections of files, being able to work efficiently with multiple files and folders can be a huge time saver.

Using Libraries

In Windows 7 tutorial, you'll learn about a powerful new feature of Windows 7, namely libraries. Libraries let you view files on your computer from a content centric rather than location centric perspective. When sifting through vast amounts of files, libraries can be very useful. You'll see what we mean when you watch the video.

Folder Properties

In Windows 7 tutorial, we continue to explore the many features of Windows Explorer by taking a look at folder properties. We'll mainly be concentrating on how to customize folder types to make exploring your computer even easier.

Folder Options

In Windows 7 tutorial, we'll show you how to customize Windows Explorer and your folders even more by using the folder options window. You'll discover how to customize folder views and peek into the hidden files and folders on your PC.

Using The Recycle Bin

In Windows 7 tutorial, we'll take a look at the Recycle Bin folder. The Recycle Bin is where files and folders are sent when you remove them. It acts like a safety net against deleting data by accident. In the video we'll show you how to recover files from the Recycle Bin, empty the bin and also change its size. You will also see a few exceptions where files are not sent to the Recycle Bin and are deleted immediately instead.

Advance Start Menu Options
In Windows 7 tutorial, you will see some advanced techniques for working with and customizing the Start Menu. You'll learn about the privacy options for the Start Menu and how to clear recently used programs as well as how to personalize the options available on the right of the menu.

Exploring Your Computer With "Computer"

In Windows 7 tutorial, We'll look at "Computer". This is the top level view of all the drives and storage devices attached to your PC. From Computer you can open and navigate to any file or folder on your PC or on network drives or removable drives.

Taskbar Jump List And Customization

In Windows 7 tutorial, it's time to explore the new Windows 7 Taskbar further. We'll look at jump lists on the Taskbar and take a look at some customization options. Want to go back to the old style Taskbar with labels as well as icons? Want to add toolbars to your Taskbar? We'll show you how to do all that and more in this video.

The Notification Area (System Tray)

In Windows 7 tutorial, we'll take a look at the much improved Notification Area (or System Tray as it is commonly referred to). The Notification Area has become increasingly cluttered on many systems as more and more programs place their notification icons at the bottom of the screen. Windows 7 streamlines the Notification Area and significantly reduces clutter, as you'll see in this video.

Search Is Everywhere In Windows 7 Too

In Windows 7 tutorial, it's time to search out the search options in Windows 7 and show you how you can quickly find files and folders on your computer. Adjusting to the new, more complex search options in Windows 7 can be a shock for Windows XP users, but with a little practise and our handy tutorial here, we're sure you'll be searching like a pro in no time.

The Low Down On User Account Controls In Windows 7

In Windows 7 tutorial, it's time to take a look at the often unfairly criticized User Account Control security mechanism. User Account Controls (UAC) were introduced in Windows Vista and were immediately unpopular with users migrating from Windows XP. However, they drastically improved security and when used in conjunction with limited user accounts, can actually save a great deal of time, as we'll demonstrate in the video.

Devices And Printer

In Windows 7 tutorial, we demonstrate the new Devices and Printers section of the control panel. This new feature of Windows 7 aims to make it easier to work with and troubleshoot peripheral devices, such as printers, monitors, external storage devices and game controllers. Instead of trying to find your device in a big long list, Devices and Printers tries to assign an icon to it which represents the actual device more clearly.

How To Install Windows 7

Step 1 - Place Windows 7 DVD in your dvd-rom drive and start your PC. Windows 7 will start to boot up and you will get the following progress bar.

Step 2 - The next screen allows you to setup your language, time and currency format, keyboard or input method. Choose your required settings and click next to continue.

Step 3 - The next screen allows you to install or repair Windows 7. Since we are doing a clean install we will click on "install now". 

Step 4 - Read the license terms and tick I accept license terms. Then click next to continue.

Step 5 - You will now be presented with two options. Upgrade or Custom (Advanced). Since we are doing a clean install we will select Custom (Advanced).

Step 6 - Choose where you would like to install Windows 7. If you have one hard drive you will get a similar option to the image below. You can click next to continue. If you have more that one drive or partition then you need to select the appropriate drive and click next. If you need to format or partition a drive then click Drive options (advance) before clicking next.

Step 7 - Windows 7 starts the installation process and starts copying all the necessary files to your hard drive as shown on the image below.

Step 8 - It will go through various stages of the setup and will reboot your system few times.

Step 9 - When your PC reboots it attempts to boot from DVD as its the first boot device. Do not press any key during the boot prompt so Windows 7 will continue with the installation by booting from the hard drive.

Step 10 - After the reboot your computer will be prepared for first use. 

Step 11 - At this stage you need to choose a user name and computer name. Click next to continue. The user account you create here is the Administrator account which is the main account for your Windows 7 that has all the privileges.

Step 12 - Choose your password and password hint just incase you forget your password and need to jog your memory. 

Step 13 - You can now type the product key that came with Windows 7 and click next. If you do not enter the product key you can still proceed to the next stage. However Windows 7 will run in trial mode for 30 days. You must therefore activate Windows within 30 days otherwise you can not access your computer after 30 days.

Step 14 - Help protect your computer and improve Windows automatically. Choose Use recommended settings.

Step 15 - Review your time and date settings. Select your time zone, correct the date and time and click next to continue.

Step 16 - Select your computer's current location. If you are a home user then choose Home network otherwise select the appropriate option.

Step 17 - Windows will now finalize the settings for your computer and restart.

Step 18 - After the final restart Windows 7 will start to boot up.

Step 19 - Finally you have the logon screen. Just type your password and press enter or click on the arrow to logon to Windows 7 for the first time.

Step 20 - After you have logged on to Windows 7 for the first time, you will see similar desktop to the image below. At this point you can start using your computer. However it may not be fully configured. You need to make sure that all the hardware is detected correctly and the necessary device drivers are installed. This can be done from the device manager.

Step 21 - To go to device manager click - Start Menu -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> System -> Device Manager. You will see all your hardware listed as shown on the image below. You need to check if you have any yellow exclamation marks next to the name of the devices, similar to "Multimedia Audio Controller" on the image below. This indicates that the driver has not been installed for this device.

At this stage you can install the driver for this device. To do so, Right Mouse click on Multimedia Audio Controller -> Update Driver Software.

Step 22 - You can choose to "Search automatically for updated driver software" or "Browse my computer for driver software". If you have the driver CD or if the driver is on a USB drive then choose "browse my computer for driver software". Window 7 will search and install the driver from the CD or you can locate the driver manually.

Once you have removed all the yellow exclamation marks from the device manager your Windows 7 configuration would be fully complete.

Step 23 - Finally check if you have successfully activated Windows 7. Click Start Menu -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> System. You will get a window similar to the image below. Towards the bottom you will see Windows is activated followed by your product ID. This shows that your copy of Windows 7 is fully activated.