Explorer.exe process freezes the system, using all CPU / Memory resources on Windows XP

Issue

• Explorer.exe freezes the system.
• Explorer.exe CPU Usage is 99% or 100%.
• Explorer.exe freezes on my download folders / my videos folders.
• Need to restart the computer every time.

Problem

Windows calculates the duration of all videos on the folder you are opening, causing the Explorer.exe process to use almost 100% of its CPU or memory resources. 



Solution to restart Explorer without Restarting

• Press Alt + Ctrl + Del to go to Windows Task Manager.
• Go Processes Tab -> Click on Explorer and press End Process
• Go Applications Tab -> New Task -> Type Explorer -> okay

 Solution

• Click on Start  -> Run -> Type regsvr32 -u shmedia.dll  
• This will disable the previews
  

•  Click on Start -> Run -> Regedit
  
•  Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Classes \ CLSID \ {87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}.  You can also access the classes at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}.
• Rename using (-) sign in the front.
• Result will look like -{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}.

Printer cannot be selected in Microsoft Office. Showing no printer on listing.

Issue 

• Printer cannot be selected in Microsoft Office. Showing no printer on listing.
• Microsoft Excel, Word asking to install new printers although you have printers installed.
• Default printer cannot be set.
• After deleting and installing printer drivers, same issues.

Solution 1

• Go to windows registry. 
• Start->Run
• Type regedit or regedt32
• Press okay
• Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\
• Look for an entry called Device. The value of device should look like HP LaserJet P2015 Series PCL 5e,winspool,Ne05:
• If it is missing, create an entry called Device, Type REG_SZ, Value Default printer details  

Solution 2

from link http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307016 
 
Create a new user who is named Test:

1. 1. Log on to the client computer as Administrator.
   2. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
   3. Under System Tools, expand Local Users and Groups, right-click Users, and then click New User.
   4. Create a new user who is named Test.
2. Quit the Computer Management snap-in, and then display hidden files and folders:
   1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Folder Options.
   2. Click the View tab, click Show hidden files and folders, click to clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box, click Apply, and then click OK.
3. Log off the computer, and then log on as the Test user account that you created in step 1.
4. Click Start, click Printers and Faxes, and then click Add a printer. Follow the instructions on the screen to add a network printer.
   
   Note You may have to be authenticated before you can connect to the network printer:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
   2. Type net use lpt1: \\servername\share /user:administrator, and then press ENTER, where servername is the name of the server with the shared network printer, share is the share name of the network printer, and administrator is the name of a user account with administrative credentials on the server.
   3. Type the administrative password when you are prompted to do so, and then press ENTER.
   4. Restart the Add Printer Wizard.
5. After you add the network printer, log off the computer, and then log on as Administrator.
6. Load the Test registry hive:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type regedt32 in the Open box, and then click OK.
   2. Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and then click Load Hive on the File menu.
   3. Open the Windows installation drive\Documents and Settings\test folder, where test is the name of the Test user that you created in step 1.
   4. Click the NTUSER.DAT file, and then click Open.
   5. In the Key Name box, type Test, and then click OK.
      
      The Test registry hive is loaded under
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
      .
7. Insert the default user Test registry file under
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   :
   1. Click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\Printers
   2. On the File menu, click Export.
   3. In the File name box, type print.reg, and then click Save.
   4. Click the
      Test
      registry subkey, and then click Unload Hive on the File menu.
   5. Click Yes to confirm that you want to unload the key and all its subkeys.
   6. Click the
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
      registry key, and then click Load Hive on the File menu.
   7. Open the C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.WINDOWS file.
   8. Click the NTUSER.DAT file, and then click Open.
   9. In the Key Name box, type Test, and then click OK.
      
      The default user "Test" registry file is inserted under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
8. On the File menu, click Import.
9. Open the folder where you saved the Print.reg file, click Print.reg, and then click Open.
10. When you receive the message that the information in the Print.reg file has been successfully entered into the registry, click OK. The printer information is loaded into the default user registry settings.
11. Click the Test registry key, and then click Unload Hive on the File menu.
12. Click Yes to confirm that you want to unload the Test key and all its subkeys.
13. Quit Registry Editor.
14. Test the new configuration by creating a new user, and then logging on as that user. The network printer is listed in the Printers and Faxes dialog box.

How to disable automatic restart after windows update

Issue:

Windows restarts automatically after critical windows update. All the unsaved work gets lost or some files gets corrupted.

Solution:

1. Click on Run and type regedit.exe (Registry editor).

2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU
 
3. If you do not see WindowsUpdate\AU, you can create it by following the procedure below.

   a. Click on Windows
   b. Select Edit Menu
   c. Choose New -> Key
   d. Type WindowsUpdate

   e. Click on WindowsUpdate
   f. Select Edit Menu
   g. Choose New -> Key
   h. Type AU

4. Click on AU. On the right hand side, create a new 32-bit DWORD called NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers. Use the procedure below to create it.

   a. Select Edit Menu
   b. choose New -> DWORD.
   c. Type NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers
   d. Double Click NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers
   e. Change the value data to 1 (hexadecimal)

5. Close registry editor.

How to disable automatic restart after windows update, Windows XP or 7

Works with Windows 7 & Windows XP

VMware Server 2.0 Host Agent Service not starting

Issue 

• VMware Host Agent Service not starting.
• VMWare Host Agent service specific error code -1.
• https://servername:8333/ui/# is not opening on windows explorer/firefox/any browser.
• VMware server cannot establish a connection to the server at server:8333

Solution

1. Uninstall VMWare Server.
2. Go to C:\ProgramData (Hidden Folder).
3. Delete VMWare Folder.
4. Install VMware Server.

Note

C:\ProgramData is a Windows 7/Vista/latest Servers equivalent to "C:\Documents and Settings\all users\application data" on XP/Old Servers.

VMWare Host Agent service specific error code -1

Error or Blue Screen when Starting Windows XP

Issue

 Error or Blue Screen when Starting Windows XP

Solution

from link http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545
 
Part one 

In part one, you start the Recovery Console, create a temporary folder, back up the existing registry files to a new location, delete the registry files at their existing location, and then copy the registry files from the repair folder to the System32\Config folder. When you have finished this procedure, a registry is created that you can use to start Windows XP. This registry was created and saved during the initial setup of Windows XP. Therefore any changes and settings that occurred after the Setup program was finished are lost.

To complete part one, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
   Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
2. When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
4. When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
5. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
   md tmp
   copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
   copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
   copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
   copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
   copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak
   
   delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
   delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
   delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
   delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
   delete c:\windows\system32\config\default
   
   copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
   copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
   copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
   copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
   copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default
6. Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.

Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step five, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:

batch regcopy1.txt

With the batch command in Recovery Console, you can process all the commands in a text file sequentially. When you use the batch command, you do not have to manually type as many commands.

 

Part two

 

To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.

Note Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article KB309531. Step 7 contains a reference to the article.

1. Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).
2. Press the F8 key.
   
   On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.
3. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.
4. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.

In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is generally not visible during typical usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:

1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
5. Click Yes when the dialog box that confirms that you want to display these files appears.
6. Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to display a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.
7. Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder is unavailable and appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder.
   
   Note This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".
   
   Note You may receive the following error message:
   C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.
   If you receive this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:
   309531 How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
8. Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.
9. Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder. The following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:
   C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot
10. From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:
    • _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
    • _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
    • _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
    • _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
    • _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
11. Rename the files in the C:\Windows\Tmp folder as follows:
    • Rename _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT to DEFAULT
    • Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY to SECURITY
    • Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE to SOFTWARE
    • Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM to SYSTEM
    • Rename _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM to SAM

These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file that the Setup program created, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. Therefore, it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.

The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You must have a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.

The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to make sure that the files are available under Recovery Console. You must use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. By default, Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder.

Note The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system. For more information about how to access the System Volume Information Folder with the NTFS file system, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

309531 How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder

 

Part Three

 

In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:

1. Start Recovery Console.
2. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
   del c:\windows\system32\config\sam
   
   del c:\windows\system32\config\security
   
   del c:\windows\system32\config\software
   
   del c:\windows\system32\config\default
   
   del c:\windows\system32\config\system
   
   copy c:\windows\tmp\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
   
   copy c:\windows\tmp\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
   
   copy c:\windows\tmp\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
   
   copy c:\windows\tmp\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
   
   copy c:\windows\tmp\default c:\windows\system32\config\default
   Note Some of these command lines may be wrapped for readability.
3. Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer restarts.

Note This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy2.txt" (for example). To use this file, run the following command when you start in Recovery Console:

batch regcopy2.txt

 

Part Four

 

1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.
2. Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
3. Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous RestorePoint.

Windows XP Blue Screen

I got blue screen often on one my xp machines. This solution(s) worked for me.

Run CHKDSK

1. Go to command prompt (Start -> Run -> type cmd -> press enter).
2. Type chkdsk c: /f 
3. Press Y if it says ( Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) ).
4. Restart the computer.
5. Chkdsk will run when the computer restarts.

Fix Bad Sectors on Hard Disk

1. Go to My Computer.
2. Right Click the hard disk and go to properties.
3. Click the tools tab.
4. In the Error-checking box, click Check Now. 
5. In Check disk options, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box. You can also select the Automatically fix file system errors check box. 

Fix Registry

1. Fix the registry 
2. I used a free software called Advanced System Care 
3. Download, Install and follow the instructions.
4. Run the software and scan everything.

Sony PlayStation PS3 Eye Driver for Windows

I installed the driver for PS3 Eye (USB Camera-B4.09.24.1) for Windows XP using the following procedure and it worked fine.

1. Unplug the Sony PlayStation PS3 Eye camera from your computer.
2. Download from http://codelaboratories.com/get/cl-eye-driver/ (CL Eye Platform Driver) or http://codelaboratories.com/products/eye/
3. Install and follow the setup process

Works with Windows 7.