Windows OS Technical Support

How to stop XP from logging out...

2008-10-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have a new xp64 machine, and when I'm away from my machine for
10 minutes, I have to re-enter my password to continue working.

How can I stop this auto-logout?

Microsoft Windows Vista "Unidentified Network" Issue

2008-10-06T23:16:00.003-07:00

There is a bug in Vista that may show your internet connection as an "Unidentified Network". This is typically caused by Vista setting your MAC address to a default address of 00:00:00:00:00. This occurs normally because of a compatibility issue with the broadcast flag and your router not being able to decipher it. Edit the following Registry Key to correct the problem:

Type REGEDIT in the Start Search box

Press "OK" to approve this task

Once REGEDIT opens, migrate to the following registy entry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}

Find the Value name: DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag
Verify the Value type: REG_DWORD
Change the Value data to: 0

Note: A data value of 0 disables this registry entry. You can use this registry entry to prevent Windows Vista from using the DHCP BROADCAST flag. After you set this registry entry, Windows Vista never uses the DHCP BROADCAST flag.

After making this edit close REGEDIT and restart your PC. You should no longer have the issue with your internet connection being identified as "Unidentified Network".

What are Windows Vista "Downgrade Rights"?

2008-10-06T23:06:00.002-07:00

Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate have what Microsoft calls “Downgrade Rights.” Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional. Customers may use one operating system at any single point in time (cannot run both operating systems simultaneously unless an additional license is purchased). Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium do not have this option, as they are not capable of downgrading to Windows XP.

When you are configuring your system online from the manufacturer or through the help of a sales expert, you will have the opportunity to select which operating system you would like on your PC. When selecting your operating system, you will see an option called “Genuine Windows^® Vista Business BONUS” and “Genuine Windows^® Vista Ultimate BONUS.” With these options, you may purchase the licensed rights to Windows Vista but have the manufacturer pre install Windows XP Professional. You will also receive a backup media disc for Windows XP Professional as well as the media for Windows Vista so you can upgrade when you’re ready. With these options, if you purchase a PC from a company like MobITech you will receive technical support for the pre-installed Windows XP Professional image and your licensed version of Windows Vista.

Windows Vista SP1 - Review

2008-03-12T18:10:00.003-07:00

After installing Vista SP1 onto a few machines I did not see a noticeable difference. In fact, noticing the improvements or changes may take a bit of time. One thing I did notice fairly quickly was that SP1 does away with the Search item on Vista's start menu. With the original Vista, Microsoft set Windows Search Explorer as the default, but you can now change this to use the desktop search program of your choice, such as Google Desktop.

After a bit of time it became clear that SP1 fixed some glitches like when you want to connect to the internet with a PPoE connection. Prior to the service pack it would take some time to make the connection when Vista was starting up. The operating system also loaded a few seconds quicker on the systems we installed it on, that is definitely a plus! Explorer also seems to have gained some speed.

The only issue that we really have with SP1 is the install time. An average of 45 minutes on each machine. Overall SP1 will improve the performance making the transition from XP an easier one for the leary Vista crowd.

Vista Update fails - Error code C015001A

2008-01-20T14:19:00.001-07:00

Do you receive a message when attempting to install Windows Updates in Vista that states:

"To check for updates you must first install an update for Windows Update. Your automatic updating settings will not change."

This has become a common problem with some Vista OS builds that has gone unresolved and no one seems to have a solution... but we have seem to have found the answer.

1.) Go to the control panel > Programs and Features > click "View Installed Updates"

2.) Remove the last Update that states it is a "Hotfix"

3.) Once the uninstall is completed go to Windows Update and attempt to connect again.

4.) Viola... all the available updates will be listed!

Disable restart after Windows Automatic Updates

2008-01-19T14:48:00.001-07:00

The Windows Automatic Updates feature is great; however those nagging reboot reminders can drive you crazy. You can choose to disable this feature.

Disabling the restart reminder of Windows Automatic Updates:

Click Start -> Run
Enter “gpedit.msc”
Go to Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update
Double-click on “No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Update installation”
Enable it!
Reboot the computer

You can also change the default setting of “Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations” to remind you once a day, or so if you can still stand these pop-ups. If you want to change this for your whole network, you can use Group Policy. For security reasons, we recommend that all computers should be turned off after work or office hours.

Best motherboard for a hardcore gaming experience... Product Review

2007-12-23T22:34:00.001-07:00

In our professional opinion the Asus P5N32-E SLI is the best Quad-SLI ready motherboard for an intense gaming experience. With this mobo you get extreme HD gaming with the highest resolution so it feels like the enemy jumps out of the screen. The P5N32’s supreme audio- SupremeFX, induces a better Signal-to-Noise Ratio and features DTS surround sound so it sounds like the enemy is around you. The unique 3 PCIex16 x SLI ability makes the experience feel so real. This board is also of AI Lifestyle descent, quiet thermal solutions increase the stability and reliability when running resource demanding games or applications, EZ DIY features enhance the DIY experience and makes your PC much more interesting. Let’s also not forget that it is very easy to over clock!

HAL.DLL MISSING OR CORRUPT ERROR MESSAGE

2007-12-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

If you receive an error regarding a missing or corrupt hal.dll file, it may simply be the BOOT.INI file on the root of the C: drive that is configured incorrectly.

To resolve this issue:

1.) Insert and boot from your Windows XP CD.

2.)At the first R=Repair option, press the R key

3.)Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the Windows installation you wish to repair. This will typically be option #1

4.)Type bootcfg /list to show the current entries in the BOOT.INI file

5.)Type bootcfg /rebuild to repair it

6.)Take out the CD ROM and type exit

Your Computer will reboot and you should now be able to access Windows once again.

Why you should say NO to Geek Squad

2007-12-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

After many complaints from our clients, we decided to research exactly how many people out there have received terrible support from Geek Squad. Take a look at this video from other knowledgable techs before calling Geek Squad to solve your computer problems. You may want to seek other technical support companies out there like MobITech for your problem solving needs. We have run in to these situations with our clients on a regular basis that were given bad advice. We have been able to solve their problems without the need for the typical "You have to reformat your hard drive" resolution that you may hear from other companies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pw3bS2a0EI

Computer Startup Slow?

2007-12-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

What we usually do in this case is "msconfig" and disable all my "startup" programs that I dont need and maybe even some services that are not "Microsoft".

Try that then reboot and add the programs 1 by 1 rebooting after each to find the culprit program/service.

In case you dont know how to "msconfig" all you do is:
1) click start
2) click run
3)type " msconfig " without the quotes
4)uncheck unwanted programs/services from the "startup and services" tab.

Another option would be to open task manager, click on Processes, and sort it by Memory (descending).

That may also tell you which program is taking up the memory.

Vista Tip

2007-12-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Every time you delete a file, Windows asks you "Are you sure you want to move this file to the Recycle Bin?" This is a great feature to prevent you from deleting files by accident, but if you are trying to do some cleanup and need to delete a large amount of files, you may not want to be continuously prompted.

Just right-click on your Recycle Bin and choose Properties from the menu.

Now you'll see the Trash Properties dialog, and notice the "Display delete confirmation dialog" at the bottom.

Just uncheck the box, and close the dialog. No more confirmations!