Been encountering problems with Windows 7 lately? Not to worry. Here are a few basic steps that you could try on your own before resorting to technical support.
Start with the search facility in Windows 7. Search for key words that best describe your problem including program names, error messages, error codes, fixes etc. and go through the results to check for related help topics. The search is also likely to lead to you new find and fix, as well as troubleshooting utilities in Windows 7 that are specific to each problem.
If you want to explore a little more in detail, use the Device Manager or Event Viewer utilities to diagnose problems pertaining to devices and device drivers. Basic details regarding device connection, initialization, driver versions etc. can be determined using these tools.
Performance drags could be analyzed further based on a report generated using the perfmon tool. Windows Experience Index is another utility that gives you a rough idea of device performance by means of a scoring system, using which you can determine the device causing the system to slow down. For a more accurate rating of your graphic card performance you could fall back on 3DMark benchmarks though! Let’s be clear that rectifying performance problems is not for the novice, so if you don’t know the technicalities, do not make any changes to your system settings.
Not all older programs work well with Windows 7, though you can try and manually run them in XP or Vista compatible mode. For a more permanent solution, use the new Compatibility Wizard that comes with Windows 7. Locate the problem application, highlight the issue, specify the Windows version the program last worked, and proceed as per the indicated steps to get the program up and running.
Another common problem that you could address by yourself is that of slow system startup. This is because of the many applications included in the startup list, especially if you have migrated from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Look for the Msconfig utility and remove all unwanted programs from the startup section. Incidentally you could have also retained a whole lot of malware in the startup section from the Vista times! Take time and edit the list to cover only essential programs required for startup, including your antivirus / antispyware / antimalware programs!
In case you are looking for a utility to tweak a few uncommon settings such as turning off auto-reboot after a crash, check out the SetteMaxer. This tool again is not for the common user.
Start with the search facility in Windows 7. Search for key words that best describe your problem including program names, error messages, error codes, fixes etc. and go through the results to check for related help topics. The search is also likely to lead to you new find and fix, as well as troubleshooting utilities in Windows 7 that are specific to each problem.
If you want to explore a little more in detail, use the Device Manager or Event Viewer utilities to diagnose problems pertaining to devices and device drivers. Basic details regarding device connection, initialization, driver versions etc. can be determined using these tools.
Performance drags could be analyzed further based on a report generated using the perfmon tool. Windows Experience Index is another utility that gives you a rough idea of device performance by means of a scoring system, using which you can determine the device causing the system to slow down. For a more accurate rating of your graphic card performance you could fall back on 3DMark benchmarks though! Let’s be clear that rectifying performance problems is not for the novice, so if you don’t know the technicalities, do not make any changes to your system settings.
Not all older programs work well with Windows 7, though you can try and manually run them in XP or Vista compatible mode. For a more permanent solution, use the new Compatibility Wizard that comes with Windows 7. Locate the problem application, highlight the issue, specify the Windows version the program last worked, and proceed as per the indicated steps to get the program up and running.
Another common problem that you could address by yourself is that of slow system startup. This is because of the many applications included in the startup list, especially if you have migrated from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Look for the Msconfig utility and remove all unwanted programs from the startup section. Incidentally you could have also retained a whole lot of malware in the startup section from the Vista times! Take time and edit the list to cover only essential programs required for startup, including your antivirus / antispyware / antimalware programs!
In case you are looking for a utility to tweak a few uncommon settings such as turning off auto-reboot after a crash, check out the SetteMaxer. This tool again is not for the common user.
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