Preparing To Configure Windows. Please Do Not Turn Off Your Computer

I just bought a Toshiba Laptop for a Client with windows 7 home,

As a favour for my clients I usually run windows update for them so they get it all working and are 100% confident that when they get it as up to date as possible,

I ran into the exact same problem as above, i read this thread and read all different reply's but none of them realy worked for me and i didnt have time to wait...

this is what worked for me:

1. Hold down the power button and switch of your machine
2. Restart your computer and just before windows boots hit the F8 button
3. Boot into safe mode
4. login (if nessecary)
5. Make sure that any virus scanners at this point are disabled before continuing
6. Click "Start" > "Accessories" > "System Restore"
7. Click "Next"
8. Pick an earlier restore point and then click next, (its best to pick the 1 just before you had problems)
9. Click next and follow the prompts and it will start a system restore
10. wait till your computer does this System Restore process
11. Regardless of whether the system restore process fails or passes it should now get you out being stuck at "Preparing To Configure Windows. Please Do Not Turn Off Your Computer."

Now...

12. login if required
13 Disable Virus Scanner before moving on
14. Run windows update
15. now it should run without any problems

16. if you do have problems and run into a loop Call your Computer Manufacturer or the company that you purchased it off and see if they can help you,

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No sound after update Windows : Sound Aufzeichnen Spielen

windows update u. sound stellt sich ab. Soundcard Zoom r 16
Ich lösche das Windowsupdate, also uhr zurückgehen, dann funktioniert die Soundcard wieder
- english. Windows update, than noch sound anymore . soundcard zoom r16
When I delete the windows update, than i can hear again. Help

Which updates were installed?

Run the Microsoft fix it “Diagnose and repair sound playback problems automatically “: http://support.microsoft.com/mats/no_sound

Also here is some online help on the topic: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Tips-for-fixing-common-sound-problems

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Error code 66A while trying to install update KB2446708

Net 4 update problems
I am trying to install the .net 4 update (KB2446708) for Vista, it gives me error code 66A. I have tried to Repair the .net Framework Client Profile and it comes back with Not Suceeded because of a GenericTrust Failure.I have tried to reset the Windows Update Components using the fix it tool. What shall I try next??

see if this helps fix it:

How do I reset Windows Update components?

there is an automatic "fix-it" there too

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

Also, try putting the KB numbers in the search at the below link then manually download them

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx

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Black screen F8 key unresponsive Can't reboot

The drive is easy to put in.
1 - remove the AC Adapter and battery
2 - open up the case over the hard drive (usually 1 or 2 screws)
3 - lift up on the plastic tab to remove the hard drive
4 - remove the adapter over the SATA/IDE connector (it pulls off)
5 - unscrew 4 screws to remove the drive from the "caddy"
6 - reassemble in reverse.
Since the old drive is bad, you'll definitely need a set of recovery disks. If you don't have them now, you'll have to order them from the link I gave earlier (If in the USA). They usually arrive in a couple of days and it'll take a couple of hours to install.

Turn the computer on, open the CD/DVD drive and put Disk 1 in. Close the drive
Restart the system, tapping Esc as soon as the Compaq splash screen shows up.
Select the CD/DVD drive to boot from - and follow the prompts.

Here's a link to the product manual. Chapter 4 deals with replacing the hard drive: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01523646.pdf

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Fix error audio service is not running

Recently when I rebooted my computer, the audio stopped running. Usually, troubleshooter will automatically fix the problem, but surprisingly in this occasion, even the troubleshooter failed to start. The speaker icon in the notification area had a red cross over it.
Here’s a work around:

1. Click on Start, and type Services.msc in the search bar.

2. Scroll through the list of services, right click on Windows Audio and click Start.

If this doesn’t work, make sure, you have started all other dependent services such as Plug and Play, Multimedia Class Scheduler, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder

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0xC0000034 error message when you try to install Windows 7 SP1

This article describes a hotfix that prevents the following issue. For more information about how to recover from this issue after it has already occurred, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
975484 Your computer may freeze or restart to a black screen that has a "0xc0000034" error message after you install Service Pack 1 on Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2
Consider the following scenario:

You install Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on a computer.
You install some other updates before you restart the computer to complete the installation process. Or, the service pack is installed at the same time as other updates by using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

In this scenario, the computer may stop responding or restart. If the computer restarts, you receive an error message that resembles the following on a black screen:

0xC0000034 error message when you try to install Windows 7 SP1

0xC0000034

Note If the computer stops responding and you restart the computer, you receive the same error message.

All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7
Download

All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7
Download

All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
Download

All supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
Download

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Notes

You must install this update package on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. You cannot install this update on an offline image.
In a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) environment, this update is marked as "Exclusive." You will only be offered this update if you have installed all other updates that are marked as "Important."

Prerequisites
To apply this update, you must be running one of the following operating systems:

Windows 7
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Registry information
To use the update in this package, you do not have to make any changes to the registry.
Restart requirement
You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this update.
Update replacement information
This update does not replace a previously released update.
Update removal information
You cannot remove this update.
File information
The global version of this hotfix installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.

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Windows error message Microsoft Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close (Pdm.dll)

windows explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. we are sorry for the inconvenience

Important This article discusses a very specific Internet Explorer crash in older versions of the script debugger (Pdm.dll) that was included with Office 2000 and Visual Studio 6 (pre-SP3 version). If you view the error report details listed in the "Symptoms" section, and Pdm.dll version 6.0.0.8169 is not listed under Module Name, then this article does not apply to you.

If you are experiencing other Internet Explorer issues, such as Internet Explorer hanging, not working, or restarting, please visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/pc_ie_intro

I had the exact same problem a while ago with the "My Videos" folder. Here's the solution:
1. Click on Start>>Run.
2. Paste the following command:

regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll

Click OK.

Now try revisiting the folder. It should work. To undo the above command, Click on Start>>Run and type:

regsvr32 shmedia.dll

That's all there is to it.

Enjoy!

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Windows 7 gen_ml.dll error with KMPlayer

gen_ml.dll (media library winamp plugin) problem is a common issue in Windows Vista/Windows 7. Playback seemed to work for me, but startup was extremely slow and the screen froze for ten seconds. To avoid it you can do one of the following:

Delete gen_ml.dll from plugins folder if you don’t need it (Recommended) (I tried renaming the file, but it still caused problems)
Install KMP in a folder with admin rights.
Run KMP with admin rights (right click on file -> properties)
Disable UAC in Windows Vista (not recommended)

Via: Access Violation on startup (gen_ml.dll)

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Find and FIx Windows DLL errors in Windows 7, Vista and XP

Find and fix DLL errors in Windows 7, Vista and XP

When you encounter a Dynamic-Link Library error (DLL error) or related Windows 7, XP or Windows Vista error, what can you do about it? How can you track down the source of the problem and, one hopes, fix the problem?

With a little bit of Windows troubleshooting skills one can usually find the problem and fix it. If a Windows error of this type is troubling you, it can be fixed in most cases with some effort.
What the heck is a DLL, anyway?

A DLL is often a part of an application or software program, containing some of the application's instructions or additional data required by the application. It is also used to share components between applications–it's a way to create modular components that can be replaced or updated without having to update the entire application. DLL files are a key component of the Windows operating system, and have been so since the earliest versions.

Here are some suggestions on how to fix DLL problems:

First, copy down any error message(s) you see. You can also take a screen snapshot using the 'Prt Sc' key (stands for 'Print Screen') which will copy the screen's contents into the clipboard so that you can then paste it into a Word document or the MSPAINT application, so you can then print the error message for future reference.

Second, search the web for the error message using your favorite search engine. Look for results that are a close match for the problem you are experiencing. The closer the match, the better.

Now, if you can find good results on the web, you may be in luck: if others have resolved the issue, you should be able to find some suggestions for solving the problem. In my experience it is very rare for someone to encounter a problem that no one else has discussed. So, if you can't find useful info using a web search, it may be a matter of refining your search to narrow down the results.

Usually, the problem comes down to re-installing or updating the software package that is encountering the problem. Sometimes, there is a patch available from Microsoft if the problem is caused by part of Windows.

Occasionally, the problem is caused by one application installer overwriting a shared copy of a DLL, and another application was dependent on a particular (older or newer) version of the DLL. (This has been described as "DLL Hell" by some - when one application damages another by replacing shared components - a poorly-written windows installer can certainly contribute to this problem.) In this case, it may be possible to place the correct copy of the dependent DLL in the affected applicatio'n's program directory - DLLs are loaded first from the current directory, which is usually the location of the applications main .exe file.

In other cases, you might want to consider spyware or adware removal - AdAware or Spybot S&D (or similar product) may be helpful in this case. I've not seen adware or spyware cause DLL version errors, but it is possible that one or more of these nuisances may cause such a problem. In any case, you should check your machine for malware - viruses (using an online scanner if needed), or the aforementioned spyware/adware, if found, should be removed, if for no other reason than to eliminate it as the possible cause of any problem.

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Adding a device

When you add a Bluetooth device to your computer, address information is exchanged. Sometimes, access keys are also exchanged. This process is known as pairing or bonding the two devices. When you add a device, one of the devices must be discoverable. Some devices let you turn discovery on and off, and others are always discoverable. For example, some mouse devices are always discoverable.

When you use Bluetooth to connect two computers, the computer that is added as a device must have discovery turned on. You can turn on discovery by using the Options tab in Bluetooth Devices.

Steps to take on the computer
To add a device, follow these steps on your computer:

Click Start, click Run, type bthprops.cpl, and then click OK.
In Bluetooth Settings, click Add.
In the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard, click to select the My device is set up and ready to be found check box, and then click Next.

Note You cannot click Next until you click to select the My device is set up and ready to be found box. A device that has discovery turned off cannot be detected during a search.

When you click Next, your computer searches for any discoverable devices that are in range. When the search is complete, the devices appear in the wizard.
Select a device to add, and then click Next.

After you select the device to add, you can enter a passkey for the device. A passkey is a code that is used to control access to a device. Using a passkey may help improve the security of your connection. However, the device that you add may not require a passkey.

When you enter the passkey, your computer tries to connect to the device to verify the passkey. When you connect to another computer, you receive a message that the computers are trying to connect.

Steps to take on the device
When you have completed the steps on your computer, enter the passkey on the Bluetooth device. If the device is another computer, this computer displays a message that indicates that you are requesting a connection. Follow these steps on the computer that you are adding as a Bluetooth device:

Click in the message that indicates that you are requesting a connection.

The Add Bluetooth Device Wizard starts and provides a field for entering the passkey.
Enter the passkey. You may also choose to have a passkey generated for you.

When the passkey is verified, the connection is complete. The device is now visible on your computer. If the device is another computer, its computer name is visible on the first computer.

On the last page of the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard, you can turn discovery off on the computer that you add as a device. By default, the option to turn discovery off is selected so that the computer does not remain discoverable at all times.

After a device is added
After a device is added, it appears in Bluetooth Devices. You can view the device properties to examine the services provided, to change the name of the device, or to gather other information. You can also establish connections.

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Install a Bluetooth device

To install a Bluetooth device, you only have to connect it. Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes drivers for many Bluetooth devices. If Windows does not recognize a Bluetooth device, you can still use it by using the generic software support that Windows includes, or you can use the driver that the device manufacturer provides. To add a Bluetooth device to your computer, you can use the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard. To configure a Bluetooth connection, you use the Bluetooth Devices item in Control Panel.

You can join an ad hoc network between Bluetooth devices by using Personal Area Networking (PAN). When you use PAN, your computer and other Bluetooth devices use TCP/IP networking to communicate. If you have a Bluetooth device that supports dial-up networking, you can use it as a modem. You can use the Add Printer Wizard to use a Bluetooth printer wirelessly. Finally, you can transfer files between Bluetooth-ready computers or devices by using Bluetooth. This article includes step-by-step procedures for these tasks.

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Phone to Windows 7 Bluetooth File Transfer

Bluetooth devices are very common nowadays. By using this technology it is so easy to share files between very different devices. If your computer or laptop has a Bluetooth dongle or built-in module, Windows 7 can use it for exchanging files with other Bluetooth enabled devices such as mobile phones, iPods, iPhones, PSP devices, etc. In this guide I will show you how to verify that your dongle or built-in module works, how to connect your computer to another Bluetooth enabled device and how to exchange files between them.
Verify that Bluetooth is Working Correctly
The first thing you should do before starting a Bluetooth connection is to make sure that the Bluetooth dongle or integrated module is inserted in the computer and turned on.
Windows 7 will then install the drivers needed for the Bluetooth device. It has drivers for most Bluetooth dongles and built-in devices but, if it's not able to find any suitable drivers for it, then you should install those which are bundled by the manufacturer of your product via an install disc or on its official website.
Next, you will see a Bluetooth icon in the system tray or notification area which means that Bluetooth is active.
Bluetooth
If it is not active, you'll have to enable Bluetooth on your computer. By default, the wireless and Bluetooth connections are active. If, for some reason, they're not, look for a button on the surface of your laptop that should enable both wireless and Bluetooth connections. If you can't find that button please read the laptop's manual to find it and learn how to turn on Bluetooth.
Now, you need to make sure that the Bluetooth works properly. Type in the Start menu search box the word bluetooth and click on the 'View devices and printers' search result. Another way is to go to 'Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Devices and Printers'.
Bluetooth
In the new window you will see a list with all devices and printers that are connected to your computer. The Bluetooth dongle or integrated module will be on that list as well. If your Bluetooth device has a yellow exclamation point on its icon it means that there is a problem with it. Otherwise it means that the device is working properly.
Bluetooth
If the device has problems, select it and then click on the Troubleshoot button from the top menu. Follow the wizard's instructions and hopefully, Windows will find a solution to the problem.
Bluetooth
NOTE: If the device that you want to connect via Bluetooth to your computer has specific software applications made exactly for this kind of task, I recommend you to use that software. For example, if you have a phone with Bluetooth support it is a good idea to use that phone's "PC Suite" application on your computer.
Connect a Device to Your Computer Using Bluetooth
First you need to make sure that your computer can be seen by the Bluetooth device. In other words, you need to make sure the computer is discoverable via Bluetooth. You can access the Bluetooth settings on your computer by right-clicking the Bluetooth icon in the system tray or notification area, and selecting 'Open Settings'.
Bluetooth
Or you can simply search in the Start Menu's search box for bluetooth and click on the 'Change Bluetooth settings' search result.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth settings window will now open. In the Options tab, at the Discovery section, check 'Allow Bluetooth devices to find this computer'. This will allow other devices to see your computer. When done, click on OK.
NOTE: Enable this option only if you want the Bluetooth device to find and connect to your computer. The other way around, connecting from the computer to the device, works without having this option enabled.
Bluetooth
Next, you have to activate Bluetooth on your device. Search for discoverable devices, select the computer and pair with it. Then you have to enter a password for this connection. On your computer you will see a system notification about a device that wants to connect with it. Click on that balloon or, if you missed it, double click on the Bluetooth icon from the system tray or notification area.
Bluetooth
In the new 'Add a device' window you have to type the same password as you did in in the device that is connecting to the computer. Then click on Next.
Bluetooth
Now Windows 7 will search for drivers and it will install them for the device that is connecting to your computer. To verify that the device has been properly installed click the Devices and Printers link from the 'Add a device' window.
Bluetooth
There you can also see if the device is working properly or if it requires troubleshooting.
NOTE: If Windows doesn't find suitable drivers for the Bluetooth Peripheral Device, don't worry, you will still be able to send and receive files.
Bluetooth
Now, assuming that there are no problems, let's see how to send a file from the device to the computer through Bluetooth.
Connect the Computer to a Device Using Bluetooth
Turn on the Bluetooth function on the device and make it discoverable so that your computer will find it. Then open up the Bluetooth device window either by double-clicking the Bluetooth icon from the system tray or notification area. Click on the 'Add device' button or simply search in the Start Menu's search box for bluetooth and select the 'Add a Bluetooth device' result.
Bluetooth
Next Windows 7 will search for Bluetooth enabled devices. When it finds your Bluetooth device, select it and click on Next.
Bluetooth
Then Windows 7 will show you a password or PIN that you have to type in the device. After you typed the PIN in your device, click on Next.
Bluetooth
Now you can see the newly added device in the Bluetooth Devices window. There you can also see if the device is working properly or if it requires troubleshooting.
How to Send a File via Bluetooth
In order to send a file either right-click the Bluetooth icon from the system tray/notification area and select the 'Send a file' option or search for bluetooth in the Start Menu's search box and click on 'Bluetooth File Transfer'. Then select the 'Send a file' action.
Bluetooth
Now select the device to which you want to send a file from the computer and click on Next. In the next window, click on Browse to select the file that you want to send and then click on Next.
Bluetooth
Tip: Hold down the Shift or Ctrl key to select multiple files.
You might need to allow the transfer on your device as well, and only then the computer will connect with it and it will send the file. In the next window you will see a summary of the files that were delivered to the device through the Bluetooth connection. Click on Finish to exit the window.
Bluetooth
If you want to send other files, repeat the same steps as above.
How to Receive a File via Bluetooth
In order to receive a file from the device to your computer, you can either right-click the Bluetooth icon from the system tray or notification area and select 'Receive a file' or search for bluetooth in the Start Menu's search box and click on 'Bluetooth File Transfer'. Then select the 'Receive a File' option.
Bluetooth
Windows 7 will wait until you select a file on your device. Select the file to be sent to the computer through the Bluetooth connection, wait until the device finds the computer, select it, and then your computer will receive the file. In the next window you will see the name and the size of the file and you have to possibility to choose where to save it. Click on Browse to choose a different location than the default one and then click on Finish.
Bluetooth
The file is now received and stored in the location you selected.
Conclusion
As you can see, sending or receiving files through a Bluetooth connection is quite easy, even if some problems can happen. The lucky part is that the troubleshooting wizards are definitely better at offering solutions then those from Windows Vista and, when using them, you will get some good solutions to your problems.
The wide range of devices that have support for Bluetooth can be a disadvantage because Microsoft can't collect and deliver driver support for every product that has Bluetooth capabilities. That's why every topic about Bluetooth connections between devices and computers is full of people complaining about problems with the connection, drivers or anything in between.
The best way to eliminate some of the problems is to switch from your old phone to a newer one with more modern capabilities and driver support.
If you have problems, solutions or you know some great tips and tricks about Bluetooth connections don't hesitate to share them with us in a comment.

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Identifying An Unknown PCI Card

Microsoft Windows 95, 98, and ME users can look at their registry to determine the manufacturer or model of a PCI device installed in their computer. To do this follow the below steps, if you do not with to edit the registry and want to use a different program skip to the next section.
Open the registry by clicking start, run, and typing regedit.
In the Registry Editor go into the below registry keys

Windows 95, 98, and ME users
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
Enum\
PCI\

Windows 2000 users
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
SYSTEM\
ControlSet0001\
Enum\
Within the above key you should be other folders similar to the below example.

VEN_5333&DEV_8901&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_16
As can be seen in the above example you have a lot of useful information that can be used to identify the card. In this example the VEN aka Vendor is 5333. Doing a search for this Vendor on the PCI database shows that this particular PCI device is a "S3 Graphics Co. product." You can find a link to the PCI database.

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PCI Database Find Those Missing Drivers

It is a typical scenario. You are prepping a system for imaging, or reformatted a system, you don’t have the drivers disk and you have that one pesky piece of hardware that you just cant seem to find a driver for.

A missing Decive in Windows

A missing Device in Windows

There are plenty of sites to find drivers, the best being your systems manufactures website, secondly the website for the manufacturer of the component missing; but how do you know what driver you need? You need to identify what exactly that “Unknown Device” is before you can start poking around to find the driver for it. There are many applications on the internet that you can download that will supposedly tell you what driver you need, and go download it, but they typically come packaged with unwanted software or in some cases malware.
Using what your system already knows about the hardware, and a few online resources, you can easily find what the “Unknown Device” is referring to without cluttering up your system with unwanted software. All PCI devices are assigned a Vendor ID, and a Hardware ID. The vendor ID identifies what company manufactured that device. The Hardware ID uniquely identifies the model of that vendors device. Using these two key pieces of data, we can quickly identify what driver is needed.
-
- First, access the device manager, and view the properties of the unknown device.

- Next, click on the details tab of the missing device

- Select Hardware IDs from the drop down. We will use the screen shot below to analyze what exactly we are looking at.
Hardware and Vendor ID's

Hardware and Vendor ID's



In this string of data, we are only concerned with to key pieces of information. The data contained in Red is the Vendor ID. This always starts with VEN_. The data contained in green is the Device ID which always starts with DEV_. Now that we know how to find these peices of information, lets put them to use.
- Open a web browser and visit http://www.pcidatabase.com/. This is an online resource containing every PCI device that is manufactured.

- Enter your device ID, without the DEV_ into the Device Search field and press search. Note that we could search the Vendor ID, but that would only tell us who manufactured the device. We need the model so that we can find the appropriate driver for it.

- The device model will be displayed.
Vendor Search Result

Vendor Search Result
From here we can see that the “Unknown Device” in my case was the SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio driver. You can see it also gives us the vendor ID which matches the data found in red in the above screen shot. Armed with the knowledge of your missing device, you can visit your system manufactures driver download area and find the appropriate driver for your OS.

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Unknown Devices And Find Correct Drivers

GoldSolution Software announces the release of Driver Magician 3.18, a unique utility for the Windows operating system that detects unknown devices, backs up, restores and updates device drivers with ease.

A device driver is a specific type of computer software, it acts like a translator between device and programs that use the device. All devices in computers will be useless without correct drivers. We often meet the situation where we lost device drivers diskettes or we don't know what devices are in computers. It will take a lot of time to find correct drivers on the Internet.

Driver Magician can help you detect unknown devices in computers and give downloading link of correct device drivers. Database of unknown devices in Driver Magician contains more than 20,000 devices, and it will continually add more devices. After unknown devices are detected, it will provide a link to download correct driver. When correct drivers are installed, Driver Magician can back them up and save them in a compressed file or an auto-setup file for next-time usage.

Most hardware manufacturers recommend you download the latest official (non beta) drivers on a regular basis to keep your computer running correctly. Driver Magician has a built in database of the latest drivers, therefore it greatly simplifies the process of driver update and improve hardware performance obviously.

Driver Magician is the right choice for unknown devices detection, device driver backup, restoration and update. It is both affordable to every computer user and a real value.

System Requirements
Driver Magician will run under Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista on an Intel-based 586 PC or greater. The program requires 32 MB of RAM and 5 MB disk space to install.

Price and Availability
Driver Magician is available now. The price for single user license is $29.95 USD. A trial version is available from the GoldSolution Software web site at:
http://www.drivermagician.com

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