Windows saves the desktop icon layout when the user logs off, and the setting is read during logon. Recently I came across a case where the desktop icons rearrange to their default positions after a restart or logoff/logon cycle. This turned out to be a Permissions issue with a registry key, which kept Windows from writing to it. Are you experiencing the same problem in your Windows XP/2003/Vista/7 PC? If so, here is a solution that you can give it a go. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Windows 7’
Fix for Desktop Icons Layout Not Getting Saved Upon Restarting Windows
How to Restore .BKF Images Using Windows NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7
Here is a walkthrough (with screenshots) on how to restore Windows XP NTBackup’s BKF images in Windows 7 using Microsoft’s Windows NT Backup Restore Utility. Note that our earlier article on How to Restore .BKF files Using NTBackup in Windows 7 and Windows Vista still works. You’re free to choose whichever method you find easier. (more…)
Windows NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7 Is Now Available
Earlier we wrote how to restore NTBackup .BKF images in Windows 7, for users who didn’t want to wait for Microsoft’s NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7. Now, Microsoft has made available the Windows NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7 in the form of a hotfix, that will restore the Windows XP NTBackup images (.BKF) in a Windows 7 PC. (more…)
File Association Fixes for Windows 7
This page contains the file association fixes for some of the common file types. These fixes are applicable for Windows® 7 systems only. (more…)
How to Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews Quickly Using Right-Click Menu in Windows Vista and Windows 7
If you had disabled thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer for performance, but want to have a means of enabling or disabling thumbnail previews in a jiffy, here is a solution for you. To enable or disable thumbnail previews in Windows Vista and Windows 7, you normally click on the Organize button in the folder view, choose Folder and Search Options, select the View tab and then select or deselect the Always show icons, never thumbnails. (more…)
New Command-Line Parameters for Defrag.exe in Windows 7
Several new switches or parameters are added to the defragmentation console tool (defrag.exe) in Windows 7. The switches are /E, /H, /M, /T, /U & /X. Here is the entire list of parameters supported by defrag.exe (v6.1) in Windows 7:
| Switch | Description |
| /A | Perform analysis on the specified volumes. |
| /C | Perform the operation on all volumes. |
| /E | Perform the operation on all volumes except those specified. |
| /H | Run the operation at normal priority (default is low). |
| /M | Run the operation on each volume in parallel in the background. |
| /T | Track an operation already in progress on the specified volume. |
| /U | Print the progress of the operation on the screen. |
| /V | Print verbose output containing the fragmentation statistics. |
| /X | Perform free space consolidation on the specified volumes. |
Likewise, the following switches are dropped in Windows 7. Although the following switches are not listed when running "defrag.exe /?", Defrag.exe in Windows 7 still accepts these switches. It’s not clear if they’re left for backward compatibility. Perhaps we should wait for official note from Microsoft.
| Switch | Description |
| /R | Performs partial defragmentation (default). Attempts to consolidate only fragments smaller than 64 megabytes (MB). |
| /W | Performs full defragmentation. Attempts to consolidate all file fragments, regardless of their size. |
| /F | Forces defragmentation of the volume when free space is low. |
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. 
