When you open the Windows Live Photo Gallery Screensaver settings dialog, theme controls may be missing and the message "This computer’s video card can’t play themes" is displayed. You might be knowing that the themes in Windows Photo Gallery slideshow as well as in Windows Live Photo Gallery screensaver won’t be enabled if the Graphics card score (Windows Experience Index) is less than 3.0. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Windows Vista’ Category
“This Computer’s Video Card Can’t Play Themes” Message in WLPG Screensaver Settings Dialog
How to Restore .BKF Files Using NTBackup in Windows 7 and Windows Vista
There are so many users who back up their data using the NTBackup Tool in Windows XP, then clean install/upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows Vista and later realize that Windows 7/Vista do not include the NTBackup Tool to restore the image. Also, Microsoft haven’t released the NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7 yet (should be out soon), as they released for Windows Vista. If you have critical data contained in a NTBackup image (.BKF) and want to restore it in Windows 7, then this article is for you. (more…)
Fix for Event Log Service Startup Error 1079
When you start the Event Viewer, the following error message may be shown.
Event Log service is unavailable. Verify that the service is running.
Any attempts to start the Event Log service results in the following error:
Windows could not start the Windows Event Log service on Local Computer.
Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different from the account specified for other services running in the same process.
Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different from the account specified for other services running in the same process.
As the Windows Event Log service isn’t running, starting Task Scheduler results in the following error:
Windows could not start the Task Scheduler service on Local Computer.
Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.
Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.
This problem was reported by one of our readers via email, and it has been fixed. Service startup error 1079 occurs if the logon account for the service is incorrectly set. Usually this is resolved by fixing the service logon account (via the Log On tab in the Property sheet) via the Services MMC (services.msc)
This can’t be done in case of Windows Event Log, where the Log On tab controls remain grayed out by default.
So, we need to alter the ObjectName registry value in the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\eventlog
Start the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) and navigate to the above branch:
Double-click ObjectName value and set its data as NT AUTHORITY\LocalService {for Windows Vista & Windows 7}
Double-click ObjectName value and set its data as LocalSystem {for Windows XP}
Restart Windows.
Registry Fix
To automate the above setting, download eventlog-svc-fix.zip and run the REG file which is applicable for your Operating System. The zip file includes the REG fixes for Windows XP and Windows 7/Vista. Restart Windows after applying the fix.
Using the Mouse to Copy Command Prompt Text to Clipboard
A useful tip for mousers. Earlier we saw how to copy Command Prompt output to the Windows Clipboard. Did you know that you can accomplish the same using your pointing device (mouse)? Also, you can select a particular section (word or line) and copy it to the Clipboard. Here is how to do so.
1. Create a Command Prompt shortcut (cmd.exe) on the Desktop.
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt shortcut and choose Properties
3. In the Options tab, enable QuickEdit mode, and click OK.
4. Open a Command Prompt window (using the custom shortcut) and type a command.
5. To copy the output, select the text area using the mouse pointer and click the right-mouse button (or press ENTER.)
This tip applies to Windows Vista & Windows 7 as well.
Editor’s note: The above setting works only if you access the Command Prompt using the desktop shortcut that you created earlier. In one of the upcoming articles, we’ll instruct how to make the Quick Edit setting enabled by default, so that it works irrespective of the method you use to access the Command Prompt.
Vize GUI Enhancer for Windows Vista Replaces Non-Vista Icons
Many dialog boxes in Windows Vista include outdated (non-Vista) icons. This clearly is one of the UI aspects that Microsoft has overlooked. This is non-fatal and purely a cosmetic thing, but if you’re a perfectionist and want to replace Windows Vista icons in place of the outdated icons, then take a look at the freeware product named Vize.
Vize is a GUI enhancer for Windows Vista. It replaces most of the non-Vista icons, animations and bitmaps that Microsoft is still overlooking. Vize automates the process of replacing resources in system files, applying the real fit and finish to Windows Vista. If you are not satisfied with the results, you can completely and safely uninstall Vize.
Vize is compatible with any version, any language, and any architecture (both 32-bit x86 and x64) of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. [Vize Download URL]
Here are some dialog boxes for you to compare (before and after installing Vize).
And here are the new icons for .reg & .vbs file types.
For a similar utility for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, check out XPize. For Windows 7, Sevenize will be coming soon.
How to Remove “Always Use the Selected Program” Option From Open With Dialog
The Open With dialog in Windows allows you to open a file using different programs. Also, you can create or change the file type association by selecting the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox in the Open With dialog. Sometimes, users wrongly associate file types and end up having to fix the associations manually. To prevent this, you can remove the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox so that file type association using Open With dialog is not possible.
1. Launch Regedit.exe and navigate to the following branch:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
Note: If the above branch does not exist, you need to create it manually.
2. Create a new DWORD value named NoFileAssociate
3. Double-click NoFileAssociate and set its data to 1
4. Exit the Registry Editor.
The above registry change effects the current user account only. To implement the change for all users (machine-wide), create the NoFileAssociate value in the following branch:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
Additional Information
The above edit when used in Windows 2000/XP, results in a grayed out "Always use the selected program…" checkbox. Whereas in Windows Vista & Windows 7, the checkbox is removed completely.
Windows Easy Transfer Wizard Runs When Double-Clicking a Drive in Windows XP
After using the Windows Easy Transfer wizard to collect files and settings in the source computer running Windows XP, you may notice that the Windows Easy Transfer wizard runs every time when the drive is double-clicked in My Computer. Also, the drive icon is changed, representing the Windows Easy Transfer program icon.
Free Up Hard Disk Space After Installing Windows Vista Service Pack 2
After installing Windows Vista Service Pack 2, you can use the Windows Component Clean Tool (COMPCLN.exe) to remove the archived files. This tool also removes the files that were archived after Windows Vista SP1 was applied. You can free up more than 1 GB of disk space (if the Vista SP1 Files Removal Tool VSP1CLN.EXE was not already used.) When COMPCLN.EXE was run in a system in which VSP1CLN.EXE was already run, it freed up 440 MB of disk space approximately. (more…)
Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Available for Public Download
Microsoft earlier announced the availability of Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista to MSDN and TechNet Plus Subscribers. Now the public download of Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 is available. Here are the download links for the standalone installer. Note that it has not hit Windows Updates yet. (more…)
View the List of Services Hosted by the Svchost.exe Process Using Task Manager in Windows 7 and Vista
Svchost.exe is a process that hosts other Services to perform various functions. There can be multiple instances of svchost.exe running on your computer, with each instance containing different services. In Windows 2000/XP, you need Tasklist or Process Explorer to view the list of Services running under a particular svchost.exe process. This is much easier in Windows Vista and Windows 7, wherein you can view the Services list using Task Manager. (more…)
