SYSPREP is a Windows utility that allows a computer to be generalized. If you’re restoring system images (using Ghost or a similar technology) to multiple PCs on a network, then it is imperative that you first run SYSPREP to generalize the system. Continue reading
Category: Windows 7
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2013/07/windows/using-sysprep-in-audit-mode-before-creating-a-system-image/
Adding SkyDrive to your Document Libraries in Windows
Microsoft Live Essential Suite 2011 included tools such as Live Messenger, Live Writer, Mail, and Live Mesh. Microsoft Live Mesh allowed users to synchronize data between different PCs on your network, and even keep up to 5 GB out on the cloud for free. The big downside to Live Mesh was that you could never increase your 5 GB limit. Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/09/windows/windows-7/adding-skydrive-to-your-document-libraries-in-windows/
What printers work best with a Windows Remote Desktop Server?
In the Windows 2003/Windows XP days, printing on a Remote Desktop server was limited to those servers who have drivers for that particular server. Drivers for any locally attached printers would not only have to be installed on the PC that they were attached to, but also on the server you were remotely connecting to.
Now with Windows 2008 R2, Remote Desktop users have the ability to use printer redirection using Microsoft’s EasyPrint. Basically EasyPrint is part of Windows Server, and allows print jobs in a Remote Desktop session to be sent to the client for print job handling, instead of trying to print the job itself. While this is slightly slower than the old method, it allows for a much larger number of compatible printers without the need of installing drivers on the server.
Which printers will work? Well most printers that work with Windows 7 will work with Microsoft’s EasyPrint technology. If you are planning on purchasing a new printer and want to ensure that it will be fully compatible with any Remote Desktop servers you are connecting to, then check out Microsoft’s Windows Catalog database.
Any new printer you are considering should be certified for Windows 2008 R2 to fully ensure it will work well with a Remote Desktop server.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/what-printers-work-best-with-a-windows-remote-desktop-server/
What to do when a print job crashes your printer spooler service
Often times printers do not work the way we expect them to. Sometimes when print jobs get stuck in the queue or cause the Windows printer spooler service to crash we need to step in to help. Here are a few quick steps that will take care of most scenarios that a simple reboot won’t fix.
On a side note, it is usually best if your computer is running the latest driver software from your printer’s manufacturer. This can generally be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
- Disconnect the printer from the PC. As long as Windows sees the printer connected it will try to print any jobs in the printer’s queue, including the job causing the problem. You can accomplish this by unplugging the printer’s data cable (usually USB) from either the back of the computer or from the back of the printer.
- Restart the Print Spooler service. Open a command prompt (with admin rights if using Windows 7) and type the following command followed by the <Enter> key:
net stop spooler & net start spooler
The spooler service should restart and bring you back to the command prompt.
NOTE: For more on this step, see my post on How to Open the Command Prompt with Admin Rights. - Open the printer’s queue and delete any stuck jobs.
- Reconnect the printer to the PC. Windows will reconnect the printer and make it available. Try printing a test page to make sure it is working OK.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/what-to-do-when-a-print-job-crashes-your-printer-spooler-service/
How to open the Command Prompt in Windows 7/Vista with Administrative Rights
In Windows XP all programs were run with administrator rights if you were logged in to the computer with a user account with admin rights to that system. There are obviously some security concerns with this, as any piece of software can potentially do damage to your system. This all changes with Windows Vista and Windows 7 as long as you keep UAC (User Access Control) enabled. UAC prevents software that need to access certain parts of Windows from running without any checks and balances.
By default, all programs are run without administrative rights. There are some cases where it is necessary to escalate the rights of an application so that it runs with these admin rights. A good example of this is Windows’ built-in Command Prompt utility. If you launch the Windows Command Prompt from the Start Menu, it will run with normal user (not administrative) rights. When the Command Prompt is opened this way, you will be allowed to do things like run a directory search or copy files, but not more advanced functions such as restarting Windows services. To allow these commands to run, you’ll first need to open the Command Prompt with administrative rights.
Opening the Command Prompt in Windows 7 with Administrative Rights:
- Click on the Start Menu and browse for the command prompt (Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Command Prompt), or search for Command Prompt.
- Instead of clicking on the Command Prompt icon to open it, right-click and select Run as Administrator.
- You may get prompted to allow this action, if you do simply click on the Yes button.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/how-to-open-the-command-prompt-in-windows-7vista-with-administrative-rights/
5 Ways to Increase Your Computer’s Speed/Performance
Computer speed and performance can be greatly decreased due to many factors. Normal, everyday use can slow down a computer over time. The following tips will speed up a slow system or streamline a brand new computer.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/windows-7/5-ways-to-increase-your-computers-speedperformance/
Easy Steps to Increase your Computer’s Performance
As you may have noticed, even the fastest computers tend to get slower as they age. These performance issues could be because either the hardware is no longer sufficient for the programs now running on it, or because it needs a little maintenance. Here are a few steps you can take to help speed up your system. Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/04/windows/easy-steps-to-increase-your-computers-performance/
Closing a Crashed or Hung Application using the Windows Task Manager
Regardless of how much time and money software companies put into writing their programs, we still have application crashes. An application crash is when a program or part of the operating system ceases to function properly. Preventing application crashes is usually difficult since the only way to permanently ensure you never get a crash again is to fix the bug in the software. We may not be able to prevent these crashes from happening but dealing with a crashed application, in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008, is easier to deal with than many realize.Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/02/windows/windows-7/closing-a-crashed-or-hung-application-with-windows-task-manager/
SP1 RC for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Released
Microsoft has released the Release Candidate (RC) of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.
Why is this so important, and why do I care? Within SP1 are two of my favorite feature updates: Dynamic Memory for Hyper-V, and the RemoteFX update for Remote Desktop Services.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2011/02/windows/windows-7/sp1-rc-for-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-released/