Wevtutil Error “The specified channel could not be found” when clearing an Event Log File

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If you’re receiving the following error when trying to clear an event log file using the wevtutil.exe CLI tool, then you’re most likely using an incorrect log file name parameter: Failed to clear log <logfile>. The specified channel could not be found. Check channel configuration. For example, the event log file name and the display … Read more

How to Reset Folder View Settings in Windows 10/11 and Earlier

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folder view bags

Folder view settings include column preferences, view mode (icon or thumbnail), grouping, sorting order, window size, etc. Sometimes Windows may forget your folder view settings due to corruption or if the 5000 folders limit has been reached.

For instance, Windows may keep resetting the view back to “List” even though you repeatedly choose the thumbnail view. Another example would be that the system keeps enabling the auto-align setting for your desktop icons into a grid (even when the Align icons to grid is not ticked.

Or, let’s say you had added additional columns in a folder and closed the folder. When you reopen the folder, the changes may not be retained, and it goes back to the default view and sort order settings.

In those situations, you may want to reset the views to clear out corrupt settings and start afresh. This article explains how to completely clear the saved folder views in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, and Windows 11.Read more

Extract Contents of .MSI File and Add “Extract All” to Right-Click Menu

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extract msi file contents command-line

There are situations when you need to pick a single file from a .msi package without going through the installation phase. One good example is that a stand-alone or portable application wrapped in a .msi package. Or, you may need to extract a particular wallpaper image from a theme installer.

In that case, you can avoid running the setup and extract the contents of the .msi package manually. Thus there won’t be a need for a System Restore point, the addition of several registry keys, and a few temporary directories (which would be the case if you run the setup).

No third-party tools are needed; you can do this using the Windows Installer executable msiexec.exe command-line.Read more

Windows 7 Services Default Configuration Startup Type and Log On Account

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Did you tweak the Services configuration incorrectly, resulting in a system slowdown or leading to other catastrophe? And you don’t remember the original configuration to revert back? You may find the Windows 7 default Services configuration table below useful.

Note that some of these services may not be found in your system, depending upon the edition of Windows 7 you’ve installed. For example, the BranchCache feature and the corresponding Service are available only in Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise Editions.Read more

Restore Previous Versions of Registry Hives From System Restore Snapshots

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In Windows XP, to recover registry hives from a System Restore snapshot, you need to gain access to the System Volume Information folder in the root and copy the hives from one of the restore point folders. The procedure is different in Windows Vista and Windows 7, where the System Restore tool uses Volume Shadow … Read more

How to Backup and Restore Pinned Taskbar Shortcuts in Windows 10

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taskband registry key export

When you install Windows on a new computer, customizing Windows takes a lot of time and effort. One such thing is the taskbar. You may have to redo the procedure of pinning the applications which you frequently use. If you’re planning to move to a new Windows PC or a new user profile on the same computer, and wondering how to transfer the pinned taskbar items, then this article is for you.

This post explains how to backup and restore the pinned Taskbar items in Windows 10 and earlier.Read more

How to Backup the Pinned Start Menu Shortcuts in Windows 7/Vista/XP

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The Pinned items listing which you see at the top of the Start menu is stored in the registry as a REG_BINARY value, and Windows provides no GUI to backup and restore the Pinned items configuration. In case you want to transfer the Pinned items configuration to another user profile, you need to use the Registry Editor and backup the settings in the source profile.Read more