The other day I got a call from a customer who was using a fairly decent system for file sharing in a small office of 4 people.

She told me that she was having issues connecting to the network drive where the coworkers shared their documents. This was strange because we had all the network drives mapped and they had always connected fast without issues in the past.

The server had been up and running for about a month now so I was concerned that something was going on and offered to stop in to take a look at it.

Upon inspecting the server I noted there were numerous errors in the event log referencing the following errors:

• Event ID 2017
• Event ID 2021

With sources SRV and LANMAN being referenced in some of the errors.

After referencing the error in Google I saw numerous people asking about this online and finally found an answer about what was going on and how to fix it.

It turns out this error is commonly caused by a system that is being used mainly for file sharing that has not been optimized with server settings for file sharing. It basically came down to the system not allotting enough resources to the users trying to access the server.

Now this applied even for users who were running Windows Server, Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 because the main difference between how these OS run compared to Windows Server are just registry settings that allot various resources.

So in order to resolve the problem there are two registry tweaks you need to make to optimize system resources in a PC used mainly for file sharing.

(It’s always wise to export a backup copy of your registry when you first go into Regedit before making any major changes to a system.)

01. First open Regedit. (Start > Run > Regedit)

02. Then locate the first key:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\LargeSystemCache

03. By default this value is probably set to “0” and needs to be changed to “1”

04. Then locate the following key:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\Size

05. By default this value is probably also “0” and needs to be changed to “3”

06. Once these changes have been made, reboot the system for the new settings to take effect.

This should resolve the errors in the event log and should clear up any issues users are having with file sharing or network mapping.

Please comment and let us know if this fixed the problem for you!

Change the Ribbon Menu in Microsoft Office to Classic Display

If you are like many users out there you are probably not happy with the new Microsoft Office “Ribbon” interface that completely changes the way your menus look at the top of the page.

While Microsoft made this change to improve productivity, some people really don’t like the new layout and I don’t blame them.

In several cases customers I was working with even asked me if there was a way to disable the ribbon menu and change it back to the classic Office 2003 menu.

Unfortunately there isn’t an easy way to do this right through Microsoft Office but as always I have an alternative solution that will allow you to change Microsoft Office 2007 or Office 2010 back to the classic menu you are accustomed to.

The best method I found was using a program called “Classic Menu for Microsoft Office” from Detong Technology Ltd. The program is free to try but costs $29.95 to purchase if you decide to continue using it. Well worth it for most business customers, and as a home user how much is your productivity worth?

You can download the program for Microsoft Office 2007 or Office 2010 by making the proper selection at the top of the webpage.

Once you have installed the program the “Classic Menu Manager” should display on the screen. The classic menu manager allows you to toggle options for each of the Microsoft Office programs on the system.

In the tabs you can enable or disable the classic menus, as well as modify additional details about how you would like the program to display things in Microsoft Office.

This is a great alternative for customers who are unhappy with the new Microsoft Office Ribbon menu and want to change back to the classic Microsoft Office menu.

Windows Phone 7 Changes the Way We Interact With Smart Phones

With the pending release of the Windows 7 Phone many users have been wondering about the functionality and interface of this new Smart Phone driven by Microsoft technology. Now with MIX 10 in session some of our questions are finally being answered… along with new questions being posed.

First off (for those who don’t already know) what is Windows Phone 7?

Windows Phone 7 series is the latest release of the Microsoft Windows Phone operating system. While the name implies similarities to Windows 7 the best way to look at this OS is that it was designed from the ground up, in the same way that Windows 7 was. At least this is the initial impression we are hearing from the guys over at Engadget.

With a hands-on demonstration their initial reports seem to show that they are impressed with the look and feel of the device, short of the initial limitations that are going to be imposed on the phone. The biggest concerns of many users being the lack of a “Copy & Paste” function in the Windows Phone 7 OS.

But haven’t we been down this road before?

I remember waiting in line to get my first Apple iPhone and the initial excitement I felt about the device kept me occupied for quite some time before I even realized I couldn’t copy and paste. The sheer number of things I COULD do with the phone made this a non-issue for many months.

Regardless of how you feel about this lacking feature lets look at some of the other things the Windows Phone 7 will allow you to do.

As you would expect with any Smart Phone now a days the Windows Phone 7 will allow you to email, go online, organize multimedia, offer access to audio and video with additional features like being able to update your Xbox Live profile on the go, and play games.

The development platforms for Apps on the new OS also show a lot of promise as they will be designed around XNA & Silverlight to offer rich, content oriented mobile computing.

Even now we are learning more details about the Apps platform for this phone along with the potential for developers. For now we will need to sit back and relax as all the details are released. But we can look forward to seeing this new OS in action around Q4 of this year.

My Computer Won’t Turn On… Is My Power Supply Faulty?

Troubleshooting a Bad Power Supply is pretty straight forward. Since the Power Supply is self contained issues with the PSU are not usually the result of a configuration issue.

There are several you can check though before deciding the power supply is faulty. The first and foremost method is to use a power supply tester to check for a faulty PSU. Unfortunately not people own one until they need one, so there are some manual troubleshooting steps you can perform to check for a bad power supply.

How To Troubleshoot a Bad or Faulty Power Supply (PSU)

• WARNING: Power Supplies contain internal components that can store an electrical charge. Never attempt to repair the internal components of a Power Supply as you risk personal injury and also void the warranty on the PSU.

01. Check that the AC Power Cable is Connected Firmly to the Wall Outlet and PSU.

The PSU can commonly be stiff when connecting the AC power cable so make sure the cable and power supply are making good contact with one another.

02. Check the AC Outlet that the Power Supply is Plugged Into.

If it is a wall outlet, ask yourself if it is controlled by a wall switch. If so is the switch turned on?

If you are using a power strip or surge protector check to make sure the power switch is set to “On”. There will usually be a little red light that indicates this on a decent power strip or surge protector.

03. Check the On/Off switch on the Power Supply itself.

Most new power supplies all have an On/Off switch. This is a little black switch on the back of the power supply that has a one and a zero on it. (It may look like an I / O on the switch).

Make sure this switch is set to “On”. If the switch is set to one (1) this indicates that the power supply is turned “On”. If it is set to zero (0) it means the PSU is currently switched off. Make sure the switch is set to the one (1) position.

04. Check the Voltage Switch on the Power Supply.

On most new Power Supplies there is a red switch on the back that indicates voltage. This can be set to either 115V or 230V.

In the USA all our households use 115V from the wall AC outlets for standard appliances. If you are in the US make sure your Power Supply is set to 115V. If you are from Europe I believe your PSU needs to be set to 230V.

05. Check the 20/24 Pin ATX Power Connector and 4 Pin ATX Power Connector

Most motherboards require that you connect two Power Leads from a Power Supply to power your motherboard.

The main power lead is the 20/24 Pin ATX power connection which plugs in near the memory slots on your motherboard. The secondary power lead that is required is the 4 pin ATX power connection.

Make sure both of these leads are plugged in securely to your motherboard. You should feel a small click when they are properly inserted.

It is not uncommon for a lead to feel stiff and not go in all the way. To ensure that the ATX power leads are firmly connected disconnect each on and reconnect them to the motherboard.

06. Use Observations on the Power Supply to Determine if it’s Faulty.

1. If your motherboard has a power LED on it, is this light turned on. (The motherboard power LED will normally glow even when the system is powered down.) If it is glowing this confirms the board is receiving power from the PSU and the problem may lie elsewhere.
2. Can you see or hear the fan inside the power supply spin when you try to power on the system. If you do not see or hear it spinning this can be a sign of a bad power supply.
3. Did the power supply make any crackling or popping noises when you tried to start the system? If so, this is a sign that a component inside the power supply has failed.
4. Did you see a spark or smoke come out of the power supply? If so this is another sign that a component inside the Power Supply has failed.
5. Does the power supply smell like burning electrical components. If so this is another sign of component failure inside the power supply.

07. Use Another Power Supply for Testing

If you have performed all of the above steps and have still not been able to determine if your issues are a result of a bad power supply use an extra power supply (if applicable) or a PSU from another system and try to start your system with the secondary Power Supply.

If it powers on with the other power supply you have determined your original Power Supply is bad or faulty.

Troubleshooting a Bad Power Supply Summary

If you have determined your Power Supply is bad you have two main options.

1. If your power supply is under warranty send it into the retailer or manufacturer for RMA replacement.
2. If your power supply is outside of the warranty period you will need to purchase a new power supply.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this article please feel free to leave them below.

Windows XP BSOD Error while Installing on an Intel Motherboard

Hey guys, here’s a quick one I ran across the other day that could give people massive headaches because it’s such an obtuse issue.

While installing Windows XP SP1 one onto an Intel motherboard I received a Blue Screen of Death error with a mention or IRQL in the dump.

I did a memory diagnostic test which came back error free. I reseated the CPU, and checked the cooler to make sure it was not overheating. I even tried a different hard drives and cables.

It turns out that many Intel Motherboards will Blue Screen if you are installing Windows XP with an old service pack. (In most cases SP1). A good way to identify if this is the case is that the error usually always occurs at the same point of the install. (Usually 1 min into the graphical portion of the Windows XP installation.)

If this is the case you can do a few things to resolve the issue:

1. Get a copy of Windows XP (Home or Pro depending on what you are trying to reinstall) that is Service Pack 2 (SP2) and up from a friend or coworker. Use your windows key when you reinstall and this should resolve the BSOD error.
2. If you cannot get a copy of an updated service pack version of Windows use a program like nLite to slip stream the service pack into your copy of Windows.

(You will need to the latest version of the .NET framework on the PC you create your slipstream disk on. http://www.microsoft.com/Net/Download.aspx)

To slipstream your disk simply run nLite and it will walk you through the process. You will need your original Windows installation disk, and a standalone executable of SP2 or SP3.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/default.mspx

When you run nLite it will ask for your installation disk. Put it into the system and nLite will copy your disk. Then it will ask you to point it to the executable you would like to slipstream into the disk. Point nLite to where you saved your service pack download and walla! You now have a slipstreamed disk that should help you avoid the BSOD error on Intel Motherboards.

My iPhone Won’t Sync on Windows 7 Due to an “Unknown Error”?

Lately a few friends have been asking me about their latest problem where they are having issues were their iPhones won’t sync with Windows 7. In the majority of these cases Windows 7 is reporting an “Unknown Error” when they try to sync the iPhone with iTunes.

From what we have seen from doing some research online this problem seems to be more common for users who are running Windows 7 64-bit, and also motherboards with the P55 chipset. In some cases users are reporting the Unknown Error message along with an error code 0xE8000065.

This problem actually goes back to some of the power management problems I discussed in a previous article entitled “How to Wake a PC from Hibernation / Sleep / Stand By on Windows” which discusses Power Management issues with Windows 7 and the USB ports on the motherboard.

For information on How To fix the iPhone / Windows 7 sync issue, follow the instructions below:

1. First click “Start” and then “Right Click” on “Computer” and select “Properties”
2. Under the Properties window click on the “Device Manager” link in the upper left corner.
3. In Device Manager click on the arrow next to “Universal Serial Bus controllers”. Look for the entries labeled “USB Root Hub” and right click on the first one and select “Properties”.
4. Under Properties, click on the “Power Management” tab.
5. Under Power Management uncheck the option that says “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” and then click “OK”.
6. Repeat this process for each entry of USB Root Hub going down the list in device manager.

Once you have changed them the Power Management options of each entry of USB Root Hub reboot your PC and see if you are now able to sync your iPhone.

This issue is similar to the cases where Windows 7 will not come out of sleep mode when users have connected a USB keyboard or mouse which I discuss in the article I linked to above.

HELP! Windows 7 Automatically Moves and Resizes My Windows! How do I Turn This Off?

As soon users have discovered inadvertently Windows 7 now comes installed with a feature that can automatically move and resize your Windows depending on where they are dragged on the screen. This feature in Windows 7 is known as “Aero Snap” and was designed to increase productivity by allowing users to manage their windows easier.

Though in some cases this can lead to pure frustration for users, which is the case for many of the people who have emailed me asking how to fix this from happening.

If you prefer to manage your windows yourself and would like to disable Aero snap altogether simply follow these 3 easy steps:

1. First click “Start” > “Control Panel” and click on “Ease of Access”. Under Ease of Access Center select “Change how your mouse works”.
2. In the new window look for an option that says “Make it easier to manage Windows”.
3. Put a check mark next to the option that says “Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen”. Then click “Ok” to save your settings.

(The option above can also be set under “Change how your keyboard works” under the Ease of Access Center.)

You have now disabled the Aero Snap feature in Windows 7 and should no longer have to worry about your workspace being arranged automatically when you accidently move a window.

How to Fix Problems with Windows 7 Aero

One thing on Windows 7 that a lot of users have been emailing me about is Windows Aero. Aero is the 3D default Windows 7 theme that utilizes visual effects and transitions to make navigation more graphical in Windows 7.

In some cases Aero may not be functioning because it was not fully enabled on your system or various features are disabled.

To fix this do the following:

Click “Start” and in the Run / Find line type “Aero”.

In the bottom of the new window click on the “Troubleshoot problems with transparency and other Aero Effects” link.

This will open the “Aero” troubleshooting wizard. Click “Next” and follow the prompts to automatically resolve issues with Aero.

If the wizard finishes and does not detect or fix the problems you are having with Windows 7 Aero make sure you have the most updated video drivers for your system. This can be done by going to the video card manufacturer’s website and downloading the latest drivers. (In most cases this will be ATI or NVidia.)

If you are using onboard video you may need to check the motherboard manufacturer’s website for updated video drivers, or visit the website of the company that manufactured your computer if it is a gateway, HP, Dell, etc.

(If you are using onboard video and you continue to have issues with Aero not functioning correctly you may want to consider adding a video card to the system. It doesn’t need to be anything expensive, but just something that will give you dedicated video for the PC.)

If the above suggestions do not work you may be running into an issue with Aero features being disabled in the registry. One common feature that can be disabled is Aero Peek, which makes your windows semi transparent so you can see your desktop underneath the windows.

You can check for the this by clicking “Start” and in the Run / Find line type “Regedit”

Browse to the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

And make sure that EnableAeroPeek is set to 1, and not 0 (1 being on, and zero being off)

Hopefully the above methods have helped you resolve any issues you may have been having with Windows 7 Aero.

Some Windows 7 users have reported issues lately where Windows 7 is not detecting their DVD Drive after they have installed Windows.

In most of these cases there are two things users can do to attempt to fix the problem.

The first fix involves removing two registry entries referencing the DVD Rom Drive. These two entries can be found in the following location.

Click the Start Menu > and in the “FIND” or “RUN’ field type “REGEDIT”.

In the Registry Editor go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\

Once you have found this key, look in the right hand pane and remove the “UpperFilters” and “LowerFilters” key.

(Do not remove UpperFilters.bak and LowerFilters.bak)

If this does not correct the issue for you, other users have reported that renaming the Drive “Letter” has resolved the issue for them.

To rename the Drive letter right click on “Computer” and select “Manage”. Under the “Manage” window look for “Disk Management”

Under Disk Management right click on the white bar next to your optical Drive and on the menu select “Change Drive Letter”. Follow the prompt in the new window and it should take you to a drop down menu that will allow you to assign a new drive letter for your DVD Rom.

Once you have renamed the drive letter check under “My Computer” or “Explorer” to see if the drive is now showing. If it is you can repeat the process to change the drive letter back to its original and it should still be detected by Windows 7.

If the above methods fail try rebooting the system after you have made the changes outline above and see if this corrects the issue.

I have had a couple people mention to me lately that they have purchased the Windows 7 upgrade from Vista and have run into some problems. Many users are reporting a case where the system will hang at 62% during the Windows 7 upgrade.

This can actually be caused by several factors. To determine what might be affecting your installation you should check in the “Setup Log”. To do this you need to reboot your PC > roll back to Windows Vista > and then check the following file:

\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\setupact.log

(You can open and view this file in Notepad)

This may give you a better idea of what happened that caused the system to hang at 62% during the Windows 7 upgrade / installation.

Microsoft has reported this issue can commonly be caused by a service called “lphlpsvc”. What this means to you as an end users is you should go to the Microsoft Support site and get the hotfix for this problem which can be located here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/975253

If the hotfix doesn’t correct the issue you may want to double check the Setup log for any clues as to other issues that may be causing the problem. This information can be helpful if you are familiar with PCs or are troubleshooting with tech support.

If all else fails I recommend attempting to do a clean install of Windows 7 as this is the least problematic way to upgrade to Windows 7. Just make sure you have all your data backed up beforehand as a clean install will format your hard drive.