Simple Solutions to Common Windows Problems

Learn about some free software utilities that will help you fix the
most common Windows problems. They are all compatible with
Windows XP,Vista and Windows 7.Fix Windows Problems with

Free Tools.

Q1.        I am trying to delete a file from my desktop but the computer 

              won’t let me do that. Instead, it throws me an error message

              saying that the file /folder is in use by another

              program or user.

A:          You can either reboot your computer in Safe mode to

              delete that file or, if you want something more simple,

              get Unlocker. It’s a free utility that will let you close all the

              processes that have possibly locked the file and once

             they are closed, you can then safely delete the file.

Q2.       I am trying to play a video file on my computer but the

             media player says that I am missing certain codes.

A:         You can use a tool like Video Inspector to determine

             which audio and video codes are required to play the

             video file on your computer. Alternatively, you can download

             a codes package like the K-Lite Pack that will let you play

             virtually any audio and video format on your computer.

Q3.       I am running out of disk space on my Windows computer.

             How can I remove all the unnecessary files from the

             computer and recover some disk space?

A:          There are three things you can do here:
             Open the Run box and type “cleanmgr” to open the built-in

             Disk Cleanup utility. It will remove all the temp files and the

             unnecessary system files that you no longer need. Use WinDirStat
             to determine where all your disk space has gone. Sometimes
             files are hidden in sub-directories that you can safely move to
             other drives or even delete them permanently (more options).
            Use Duplicate Cleaner to identify and delete all the duplicate
            files on your hard drives. You can move the duplicates to the
             recycle bin or, if you want to play safe, to any another folder
            from where they can be easily recovered.

Q4.       My computer takes lot of time to boot-up. I checked

             the “start-up” folder in the Windows start menu and there
             aren’t any applications out there.

           

A:        Type “msconfig” in the Run box to open the “System Configuration”

            tool and then switch to the “Start-up” tab. Disable all the programs

            that you don’t need to run during start-up. If  you are a power user,

            you may also switch to the “Services” tab and disable all the 

            unnecessary services. Autoruns is another excellent utility
            that shows you what programs are configured to run during
            system bootup or login.
            

Q5.      I am trying to uninstall a program from my computer but 
            the standard add-remove programs is not letting me

            through.

          

A:       You can use the free Revo Uninstaller utility to remove every
           single trace of any program from your computer. Revo can also

           remove entries from the Windows Registry that may have been

           left by previous un-installation routines.

          

Q6.      My Windows crashed with a “Blue Screen.” Why?

A:        You really need to get in touch with a geek to debug the cryptic
            Blue Screen errors (aka “Blue Screen of Death”) but if you

            are lucky, a free utility called BlueScreenView can   provide

            vital clues. Blue Screen View will scan the  Windows dump files
            to determine the device drivers that  possibly caused the crash.

           

Q7.      It takes ages to copy files in Windows from one folder to
            another. The situation is marginally better in Windows 7

            (over Vista) but still, is there a way to copy files faster?

A:        You can use an external file copying utility like TeraCopy
            or even RichCopy – they’ll not only copy /move files

            across drives faster but you can also resume broken file

            transfers (similiar to FTP operations).

Q8.      I think I deleted a file by mistake. Can I recover it?
A:        Recuva is a free software that will scan your hard drives,USB stick
            and other external drives for any deleted files that it can possibly

            recover.It may not work in all cases  especially when you securely

            deleted a file.

Q9.      Every time I copy something new to the Windows clipboard, the
            previous content gets erased. Can I make it permanent? 
A:        You can use Ditto, a free utility that sort-of adds memory to your
            Windows Clipboard.You can copy anything to the clipboard and

            it will stay there as long as you want.

              
Q10.     How do I protect files and folders on my computer?

A:         While there are free tools like Hide Folder that let you easily protect
             files and folders  with a password, use TrueCrypt if you want a

             more secure solution. The obvious downside with a program like

            TrueCrypt is that if you forget the password, it is nearly  impossible

             to retrieve the protected files.