Is your Windows Sidebar (Windows Desktop Gadgets) crashing after adding a third-party gadget, with the error "Windows Desktop Gadgets has stopped working" or "Windows Sidebar has stopped working" (Windows Vista) at every start? You can stop the offending gadget from loading by editing the Windows Sidebar Gadgets settings file. Here are the instructions, which apply to Windows 7 and Windows Vista. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Windows 7’ Category
How to Fix Sidebar Crash “Windows Desktop Gadgets Has Stopped Working”
Install MSI Software Packages With Logging Using the Right-Click Menu
When a software installation which uses Windows Installer Package fails, you enable Windows Installer Logging and re-run setup to capture the output to a log file for troubleshooting. This can be done using three ways: using the Registry Editor, using the Group Policy Editor or by running the msiexec.exe command with required parameters.
The first two methods are documented in article How to Enable Windows Installer Logging. The third method uses the msiexec.exe command-line parameter. Here is an example:
msiexec /l*v d:\mylog.txt /i "C:\Users\Ramesh\Desktop\7z465-x64.msi"
This starts the 7-Zip .msi installation (7z465-x64.msi) and records all the results, including verbose output to a log file named mylog.txt located at D:\
Do you find it difficult to type the entire command-line everytime when you need to log application setups? No problem! You can implement this in the context menu for .msi files so that you can launch the installation with logging in a couple of mouse clicks. (more…)
Fix Hyperlinks in Mail Client and Help Center Open in a Different Application in Windows 7/Vista
When you click on a URL in Windows Mail/Windows Live Mail, or in the Help and Support Center in Windows 7/Vista PC, the hyperlink may open in different application (say, Microsoft Word) rather than your default web browser. For example, clicking on "What’s new in Windows 7" hyperlink in Windows 7 Help Center opens the Web address in Microsoft Word.
This happens due to incorrect association settings for the http protocol. Use these steps to resolve the problem.
Resetting the Default Web Browser Using Default Programs
Click Start, Default Programs
Click Set your default programs
Select your web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer)
Click Set this program as default
Click OK.
How to Run Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode in a PC Without HAV Support?
Windows XP Mode let’s you run applications that are designed for Windows XP, right on your Windows 7 PC. Earlier, Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode could run only on computers whose processors have the Hardware-Assisted Virtualization (HAV) feature enabled. Here are some screenshots from one of my test systems with Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor E4500 (which has no Hardware-assisted Virtualization support) running Windows 7 Ultimate RTM. (more…)
Fix for Windows Search Service Startup Error 1053 in Windows 7
Recently I came across a problem in a Windows 7 PC where the Windows Search service failed to start, and manually starting the service using Services MMC resulted in Error 1053, with the following error message verbatim.
Windows could not start the Windows Search service on Local Computer.
Error 1053: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.
How to Share a Theme With All Users in a Windows 7 Computer?
A theme is a combination of desktop background pictures, Window colors, sound scheme and a screensaver. Windows 7 introduces a new file format (.themepack) which is basically a .cab file that can contain images, audio files for sound scheme, mouse cursors, icons and the .theme file itself. This file format was introduced so that it’s easier to share themes to other Windows 7 systems. (more…)
Why Is There a Lock (Padlock) Icon on Some Files and Folders in Windows 7?
Ever wondered why there is a lock icon overlay appearing for some of your files and folders, as in the image below:
And for some folders:
Fix Error “There Was a Problem Starting PhotoViewer.Dll” When Editing Image Files in Windows 7
After upgrading your Windows Vista computer to Windows 7, when you right-click on a JPG/JPEG image and click Edit, the following error message may appear:
There was a problem starting C:\Program Files\Windows Photo Gallery\PhotoViewer.dll
The specified module could not be found.
Fix Special Folders Showing Up With Generic Yellow Icon in Windows 7
If a shell folder in your Windows 7 computer has lost its special icon and showing up as a generic (yellow) folder, you need to create/fix the Desktop.ini file for the shell folder. For Windows Vista, use the instructions in article Shell folders are displayed with the standard folder icon in Windows Vista. The default contents of the desktop.ini file for various shell folders in Windows 7 are provided below. For each shell folder (that’s missing the special icon) create a file named desktop.ini and add corresponding content. (more…)
Fix My Computer Manage Context Menu Error “This File Does Not Have a Program Associated” In Windows 7/Vista
When you right-click the Computer icon and click Manage, the following error message appears and Computer Management window doesn’t appear.
This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Please install a program or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Programs control panel.
This happens if the IsShortcut registry value is deleted, in an attempt to hide the shortcut arrow overlay. This is one of the many side-effects caused by the removal of IsShortcut registry value. To resolve the problem, download and apply the .lnk file association fix from the following link:
File Association Fixes for Windows 7
File association fixes for Windows Vista
This restores the IsShortcut String value in the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile
Editor’s Note: For a proper way to remove the shortcut arrow in Windows Vista and Windows 7, see article How to remove or modify the Shortcut overlay in Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
