Configuration of your own computer

How to find out the configuration of your own computer?

If somebody asks you a question like "What is the configuration of your computer?" - it just means that he or she wants to know at least three important things - 1. What kind of processor (CPU) you have? 2. How much of memory(RAM) is installed & 3. What is the capacity of your computer's hard-disk drive (HDD). You can then add on more details like the size & type of your monitor,keyboard, mouse etc to complete the description.

You can find out the configuration of a computer by clicking on the System icon in the Control Panel or by just right-clicking on the My Computer icon on your computer's desktop and selecting Properties. Then, in the General tab, you can find information about which version of Windows you have in your computer, what kind of processor (CPU) you have in your computer and how much of memory (RAM) you have installed.

Look at the image below:

You can get information about the hard-disk capacity of your computer by double-clicking on the My Computer icon on your desktop. On the My Computer window, just hover your mouse-pointer over the disk and you should be able to see the information or right-click on the disk and select Properties.

You can also get the configuration of your computer by typing msinfo32 in:

Start - > Run. This is what you will get to see when you type this command there and click on OK.

Windows System Information Tool

The System Information tool in Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7

The System Information tool in Windows (XP, Vista & Win 7) is a Windows utility which will provide you with the full details of what your computer is made up of. You can view the details of the Hardware Resources, Components, Software environment in your computer. This information could come in handy during those times when your computer is not working properly and you need more information to troubleshoot and fix it.

This tool is called MSINFO32.EXE. You can access this tool in Windows in any the following ways:

1. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information.

2.Click on the Start button and then type in "msconfig" in the search box. Now, select the "Tools" tab and scroll down till you find "System information" and launch it. (To launch the system information utility, just select System Information from the list by clicking on it once and then click on the "Launch" button just below it.

3. You can also launch this application by simply clicking on the Start button and then typing in msinfo32.exe in the search box and click OK or just hit the key. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with this information about your computer. When you run this tool, you will find information about your computer categorized under the following three major headings:

• Hardware Resources
• Components
• Software Environment

If you want more information about any of these headings, just click on the plus (+) mark before it. Do not be surprised if you feel a little overwhelmed by all the information this tool provides to you.

You can use the system information utility in any of the following syntaxes given below in the command line:

Correct Syntax	Explanation
msinfo32 /?	This syntax displays the help associated for this command, along with the correct usage.
msinfo32 /pch	This syntax opens the system information utility in history view.
msinfo32 /nfo path	This syntax exports the system information into a file with the extension .nfo. "Path" stands for where you want the .nfo file to be created in your computer, for example c:\temp. This syntax would then look like: msinfo32 /nfo path c:\temp\mysystem.nfo, which will create an .nfo file called "msystem.nfo in the folder "c:\temp".
msinfo32 report path	This syntax exports the system information into a text file in the path specified in the command. Just make sure that you specify the correct path and the filenamewith the .txt extension. If you do not specify the .txt extension to the file, then the report text file will not have the .txt extension by default.
msinfo32 computer computername	This syntax initiates the system information utility in a remote computer. Replace "computername" with the name of the remote computer. You can also use the IP address of the remote computer you want to connect to. Ensure that you have adequate permissions to access the remote computer.
msinfo32 /showcategories	This starts up the system information utility where the categories IDs are displayed instead of the regular friendly category headings. For example, the Software Environment category would be shown just as SWEnv.
msinfo32 /category categoryid	This syntax starts up the system information tool with just the specific category ID, as against the previous syntax which showed up all the categories.
msinfo32 /categories categoryID	This syntax starts the system information tool with all available information displayed about the specific category IDS. To find out the category ids, start up thesystem information utility using the /showcategories switch.

Check this link from Microsoft.

Start computer in Safe Mode

How to start your computer in Safe Mode?

Pretty simple, really ! When your computer does not start up normally, the next thing you can do is to check if it starts up in Safe Mode. This is a special mode in which your computer starts up with just a minimum set of drivers. Once your computer boots up in Safe Mode you can go to the Device Manager to check if anything in there is causing a problem or just go to the System Tools and do a System Restore. Or, if you had recently installed any new application, you can just uninstall it.

So then, this is what we should to start up a computer in Safe Mode:

• As soon as you push the Power button in your computer to start it up, keep tapping the <F8> key on your keyboard.
• This will take you to the Windows Advanced Menu Options.
• Use the arrow keys on your keyboard and select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with networking. (according to what you want) and then hit the key. Wait for the computer to boot up in Safe Mode. (Don't be alarmed if you see a lot of "junk" scrolling across your screen. Just wait for the Safe Mode Desktop to appear !)

Once, in Safe Mode, do what you have to and when you are done, just restart the computer from the Start Button and let it start up normally.

Windows System Restore

What is Windows System Restore?

WINDOWS XP SYSTEM RESTORE

System Restore is a tool that takes your computer back to a previously working state. This option is available in Windows ME,Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Windows takes snapshots of critical system files, program files and registrysettings and stores them as "Restore Points". If ever you should have any problem with your computer, you can "restore" your computer to one of these Restore Points, when your computer was working fine.

Please remember - System restore does NOT have any effect on your personal files such as emails, documents or photographs.

HOW TO USE SYSTEM RESTORE TO RESTORE WINDOWS XP TO A PREVIOUSLY WORKING STATE

In order to perform a System Restore, you must have administrative rights in your computer. If this is your own personal computer, then chances are that you will be having administrative rights in it, however if you are on a network computer, say for example in a computer at your workplace, then you will have to request your Network Administrator to help you.

In order to restore Windows to a previously working "Restore Point" follow the steps given below:

1. Log on to Windows with administrative rights.
2. Click Start, go to All Programs, go to Accessories, go to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point and then click Next.

Note: A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.

5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on back to your computer. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.
7. Click OK.

If you have successfully restored your computer to a previous state, and the computer is performing as it should be, you can stop here.

But if the restore process completed successfully and the computer is still not performing as you want, you can either restore your computer to a different restore point or just undo the current System Restore. In order to undo a System Restore, please continue reading.

HOW TO RUN SYSTEM RESTORE FROM THE COMMAND PROMPT?

Many times, you may not be able to run System Restore because your computer will not start up normally. But you can still runSystem Restore from the command prompt.

Click on Start -> Run -> and type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and click OK.

OR

• Start up the computer in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
• At the Command Prompt type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe.
• You can replace %systemroot% with C:\Windows, if you like.
• You might have to select the Operating System in your computer.
• You might also have to enter your username and password.
• You should have Administrator Rights in your computer to do this.

HOW TO UNDO A SYSTEM RESTORE:

You may have unintentionally restored Windows XP to a previous configuration that you do not want.

To undo the restoration, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Windows with administrative rights.
2. Click Start, go to All Programs, go to Accessories, go to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Undo my last restoration, and then click Next.

Note: A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.

4. On the Confirm Restoration Undo page, click Next. System Restore restores the original Windows XP configuration, and thenrestarts the computer.
5. Log-on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Undo Complete page appears.
6. Click OK.

You can now run System Restore again from a different restore point.

Cd-Rom/Dvd-Rom not detected by my computer

How to fix: CD-Rom/DVD-Rom drive not detected by Windows?

This problem can be caused by corrupted Windows registry entries. In order to fix the problem, you might have to use theWindows Registry Editor to delete the corrupted entries. To do this, you must have administrative rights to your computer.

Step 1: Check if the drive shows up in Device Manager:

If the drive is listed in device manager, try to play or access a CD or DVD. If you can play, then, its fine. If not, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Reinstall the drivers for the CD/DVD Rom drive and check if it fixes the problem:

1. Click on the Start button and then select Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the System applet.
3. On the Hardware Tab, click on Device Manager. (You might be prompted for your administrator password.)
4. In the Device Manager, expand DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the CD and DVD devices, and then click Uninstall.
5. Click OK when you are prompted to confirm if you want to remove the device.
6. Restart the computer.

After the computer restarts, the drivers will be automatically installed. If this did not resolve the problem, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Edit the Windows XP Registry:

1. Click on the Start button, and then select Run.
2. In the Run dialogue box, type regedit, and then click OK or hit the <> key.
3. Locate and then click the following registry sub key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
4. In the right pane, click UpperFilters.
If you see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry, you do not have to remove that entry. Just click on UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. (Go to step 7)
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
7. In the right pane, click LowerFilters.If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, this content cannot help you any further.
8. On the Edit menu, select Delete.
9. Click on Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion..
10. Exit the registry editor and restart your computer.

Now, check if your drive is detected by Windows.

If it is still not detected by Windows XP, contact your hardware vendor and have your CDROM/DVD ROM drive replaced because it could be a hardware problem.

How to undelete accidentally deleted files?

How to un-delete files you have accidentally deleted and also emptied from the recycle bin?

If you have accidentally deleted an important file and, to add to the damage, emptied your Recycle Bin as well - how do you get it back?

Here's help for you. I found this small utility written by Brian Kato. It works on Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP ThisFreeware also works on NTFS and the older Windows 9X versions as well.

I don't really want to write a lot about this utility because it's pretty simple to run and has a neat interface. Only remember this, if there's something important you have deleted from your computer and you need to recover it - Don't use that computer for any thing else until that file is restored. I've used it and found it to be pretty cool. It might work for you too. But as always, Freewares are Freewares - you will be using this at your own risk!

You can download a copy of this utility - it's called Restoration - from here

Laptop keypad types different characters

How to fix: When your laptop keypad types different characters?

If you suddenly find that your laptop is displaying something completely different from what you are actually typing on the keypad,don't panic - just hold down the Key on the keypad and hit the key - that will fix the problem! This works on HP laptops and generally happens when you connect an external keyboard and then remove it.

If that does not work, try with the key and key combination. This is for those with

USB drive not detected by computer

What to do when your USB pen drive is not detected by your computer?

When you insert a Pen-drive or a USB drive in your computer, you will notice that your computer detects it automatically and opens the drive to reveal it's contents. But sometimes, it does not do that. Even when you open up My Computer, the USB drive will not be listed there!

So what do we do to fix this issue?

The fix for this is pretty simple, although I must confess, the first time I encountered this issue, I struggled for over three hours!

Click on the Start Button - select Control Panel - and then click on Administrative tools. Here, click on Computer Management. In the Computer Management window, expand Storage (click on the + sign next to it) and click on Disk Management. This will open up the Disk Management (local) snap in window.

Now, on the lower half of the right-side of the same screen, you will see that your USB / Pen-drive is listed as a removable drive. (In case you are not able to see it there, click on the + sign next to "Removable storage" and expand it.

You should typically see it listed as a removable disk and called Disk 1 or Disk 2. All you have to do is to right-click on it and select the "Change drive letter and paths" option and select a different drive letter for your pen drive. For example, if it is called Drive F, you can choose any other drive letter, let's say, Drive G.

After you have done that, open My Computer again and you should be able to see your pen-drive there:

You need to keep in mind that if your pen-drive is not being listed due to a hardware problem then you will have to gift yourself a new drive.

Right Click Menu is very slow

How to fix: Right-click menu is very slow to appear

Have you ever right-clicked on a file or a folder and had to wait for ages and ages before the Windows Context Menu opened up? You might also get the following error : "Windows has encountered a problem and needs to close…sorry for the inconvenience…" There might be no response when you right-click on a folder and try to get to its properties. If you are facing / have faced this problem, then it is due to bad Context Menu Handlers in your computer. It could be just one bad Context Menu Handler or many of them.

You can see examples of Context Menu Handlers in the image given below marked by the arrows:

Let's try to figure out how to fix this problem:

You can fix this problem manually by editing the registry but that would be a lot more difficult (unless you are an experienced user). Lets look at the really easy way out - We need to download and install a small application called SHellExView from Nir Sofer - you can get it from their website.

Once you install this application in your computer and run it, it will display all the details of the installed shell extensions likedescription, company, filename, location, version etc… You can manually enable or disable any of these shell extensions. This feature is especially useful when you are dealing with Shell Extensions which are no longer used. These could have been created and left behind by programs which no longer exist on your computer. The ShellExView is a standalone executable and does notrequire any installation process or additional DLLs. Just copy it to any folder you want, and run it. After you run it, wait a few seconds until ShellExView loads all shell extensions items.

When you run SHellEXView, it scans your computers registry for all the existing shell extensions. Make sure you sort the results under the heading "Type" so that all the Context Menu Handlers can be viewed together. Now you will have to disable the non-Microsoft context menu handlers one by one and check if the issue has been resolved. Keep doing it until you identify the faulty Context Menu Handler. You could also disable multiple (non-Microsoft) context menu handlers at one go and check if that resolves the problem. At least you will be able to narrow down your search to a small group of Context Menu Handlers and it could save you that much time.

Windows XP Desktop is Blank

How to fix: No icons on the Windows XP Desktop. Blank Desktop. Desktop Icons Missing.

If you start up your computer and notice that all your Desktop Icons are Missing and you can only see the Wallpaper - do not panic.

This is how you can fix this problem:

NO ICONS ON DESKTOP, BUT START BUTTON AND TASKBAR ARE VISIBLE:

• Right click anywhere on the desktop - Select Arrange Icons by and make sure the option Show Desktop Icons is Checked.
• Right click anywhere on the desktop - Select Properties - Select the Desktop Tab - Click on Customize desktop - Click on theWeb Tab and make sure that the option Lock Desktop Items is not checked.

NO ICONS ON DESKTOP. NO START BUTTON AND NO TASKBAR:

This is due to the corruption of Explorer.exe

TO FIX THIS PROBLEM:

• Hit Control+Alt+Del and start up the Windows XP Task Manager.
• Click on File and select New Task (Run) and type in Explorer and hit <> or click on OK

If that does not work, try this:

• Hit Control+Alt+Del on your keyboard and start up the Windows Task Manager
• Click on File and select New Task and click on the Browse button
• Browse over to C:\WINDOWS folder and
• Right-click on the file explorer.exe and rename it to explorer1.exe
• Check if that fixes your problem. If it still doesn't then continue with the steps listed below:
• Now Click on the Cancel button and get back to the Task Manager.
• In the Task Manager, click on File -> New Task (Run) and type in regedit and click on OK or hit <>. This will open the Windows registry:

Here, locate the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

• Select Winlogon and in the right pane, you will see a value called SHELL
• Double-click on Shell
• In the Value databox, you should see Explorer.exe
• Rename it to Explorer1.exe
• Click OK
• Exit the Registry
• Restart your computer

This problem could be due to a number of reasons, but it usually happens due to virus activity in your computer. That's why, once your computer restarts, make sure you scan your computer with a good anti-virus program. There are many freewares available on the web. Malwarebytes, Spybot-Search & Destroy, Superantispyware are a few of them.

If this does not fix the problem or if you think your computer is not working as it was before it happened, the next option would be toRepair the Windows installation in your computer.

Having done that, it goes without saying that it is vital that you have a valid anti-virus/anti-spyware application running in your computer.

If nothing works, you do not have much of an option except doing a Clean Installation of Windows XP.