Author: shantanu

This post will help you fix an issue with your Windows 7 computer, where your computer might not start up and crash before the login window appears. You might also get a blue screen error with the error code 0x0000006B. The whole error code would be something like this:

STOP: 0x0000006B ( parameter1, 2, 3, 4 )
Process1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED

According to Microsoft KB article 981933 this error is caused by a corrupted bootcat.cache file in “ %systemroot%\system32\codeintegrity” folder.

Method 1 : Get Service Pack 1 ( If this is not a permanent error )

• Go to Start Menu & type Windows update
• Click on Windows update from the search results
• Click on Check for updates in the left hand side pane
• Select Service Pack 1 from the recommended updates section
• It is recommended to set Windows Update to receive all critical updates automatically
• Fully Update your computer

Method 2 : Manually remove the bootcat.cache file

• Boot From the Windows 7 DVD or repair disk
• Select Repair your computer
• Click on command prompt
• Type C: and press Enter
• Type cd windows\system32\codeintegrity  & press Enter
• Now, Type del bootcat.cache & press Enter
• Restart your computer to check if it’s working correctly

If you still face a problem ( even after installing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 ) do let me know by using the comments section and I will be more than happy to help

This post will help you fix an issue with your Windows PC, where you get an error “Server Execution failed” when trying to play a file in Windows media player. Typically this error occurs when you close Windows media player and immediately try to re-open another file and for some reason even after the Media player UI closes, the main program process is still active. This error might also occur if for reason the Windows media player network service is stopped or if there is a problem with your User account. Below mentioned are a few methods that should work for you according to the reason behind your error.

Troubleshoot Method 1

• Go to the Task Manager ( Right Click on Taskbar & click Task Manager) or go to run by pressing Windows logo key + R and type taskmgr

• Now, go to the processes tab ( windows 7 and earlier )
• Check for Windows Media Player
• If found, right click the process
• Click on End Task

• Check if media player opens correctly

Troubleshoot Method 2

• Open CMD ( Administrator )

• If you are using Windows 7:
• Open start menu and type CMD
• Right Click CMD & click on Run as Administrator
• If you are using Windows 8
• Press Windows Logo key + X
• Click on Command Prompt (admin)
• Now,
• type regsvr32 jscript.dll  and press enter
• press OK
• Type regsvr32 vbscript.dll and press enter
• Press OK on the dialog box

• Check if you Windows Media player is opening correctly

Troubleshoot Method 3 : Start / Correct the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service

• Open CMD ( Administrator ) ( Follow the procedure as provided in Method 2 )
• Type Services.msc
• Locate the service Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service

• Right Click the service and Click properties
• Now, Make sure the services is started
• Else, click on Start and set the startup type to Automatic ( delayed start )

• Click Apply and OK
• Check if your problem is solved

Troubleshoot Method 4 : Change User Account

• Make sure you are logged in as Administrator
• Type netplwiz in run ( windows logo key + r )
• Click on Add
• Follow the steps to create a new user account
• Log off & log on using the new account
• Check if the Media player is working correctly or not
• If it is working correctly with a new user account, you can either shift to the new account
• or
• Try Running:
• SFC /SCANNOW ( in run – Windows Logo key + R )
• Remember, that this process will take some time to complete

Troubleshoot Method 5

• Open CMD ( Administrator )

• If you are using Windows 7:
• Open start menu and type CMD
• Right Click CMD & click on Run as Administrator
• If you are using Windows 8
• Press Windows Logo key + X
• Click on Command Prompt (admin)
• Now, type:

• net localgroup “Administrators” “NT Authority\Local Service” /add
• Press Enter
• Now, Restart your computer to check if the problem is solved

Miscellaneous Tips

• If this is problem does not gets solved by step one and this is the first time you are facing this issue, the most advisable step is to use System Restore to restore your computer to an earlier time
• You can also try to uninstall and reinstall the Windows Media player:
• To do that:

• Go to Programs and Features in Control Panel
• Click on Turn Windows Features on or off
• Locate and uncheck Windows Media Player
• Click OK
• Restart your Computer and again go to the same screen to check Windows Media player to reinstall it

If you still face an issue, please use the comment section to tell me about the issue and I will try my best to help you out.

After reading this post you will be able to configure your Windows 8 PC to login without using a password for your Microsoft Account. This guide applies to the situation where you do not wish to enter your password every time that you login to your Windows 8 PC. Remember this guide is intended just to automate the login process and does not remove your password. Note: It is always advisable not to automate this process as this can cause privacy issues.

To do this:

• Press Windows logo key + R to open run
• Type control userpasswords2 & press Enter

• Now, From the list given there select your Microsoft Account
• Uncheck the checkbox “ Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”
• Click Apply

• As soon as you click Apply, a new Window will open up asking you for your password
• Enter your Microsoft Account Password here & click ok

• Now, your Windows 8 PC will not ask you for your password the next time you login.

Note: In case you wish to disable this feature and enable that Windows 8 asks you for your password, just re-check the checkbox “ Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” & Click Apply.

This post will help you fix an issue where the upgrade to Windows 8 or even a clean installation of Windows 8 fails with or without error.Your Windows 8 installation might fail with error : Windows 8 Installation has failed. This can happen due to a number of reasons. Some of the possible solutions are mentioned herein that might help you solve this issue.

Scenario 1

Windows 8 Upgrade from previous Windows versions

Method 1 : Update Readiness Tool

• The first step should be to run the Windows 8 Update readiness tool. Click here to download . This will check if there are any update errors in your system and will fix them. This is one of the pre-installation steps that ensure a cleaner and stable windows 8 installation.

Method 2 : Security Software

• If you have any antivirus software installed in your system, if it advisable to either uninstall it or disable it for the time being. Note: make sure you save your Antivirus ( security software) activation information for future installation.

Method 3 : Clear your Temp folder:

• To do this, Go to run ( Windows logo key + R)
• Type in %temp% and press Enter
• Select all the files and folder inside the temp folder ( CTRL + A ) & Press Delete

Method 4: Hardware clean boot

• Go to the Device Manager ( Control Panel )
• Expand Display
• Right Click on your display adapter and click on disable

• Now, Do the same with your sound adapter & any network adapter installed in your system.

• Restart your computer and try installing Windows 8.

Method 5 : If the installation still fails:

• Perform a Software clean boot Click here to read the guide

Random Tips:

• Make sure you are using only one user account and no other account is logged on.
• You can also choose to delete other user accounts that you might not be using.
• Make sure your Computer updated fully. Run Windows Update to check.
• Remove any non-essential hardware devices attached to your computer ( Printer, scanner, external hard disk etc.)
• Make sure you have adequate hard disk space to upgrade to Windows 8
• Make sure you have enough RAM.

Scenario 2 : Clean Install of Windows

Check the Minimum requirements for Installing Windows 8

• Processor: 1 GHz or faster processor
• RAM: 1 GB (32-bit) |  2 GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) | 20 GB (64-bit)
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Check if your computer is Windows 8 Compatible

• Go to your Computer Manufacturer’s support website and check if the computer your are installing Windows 8 on is Windows 8 compatible or not.

Random Tips:

• Make sure the Media ( DVD / USB ) is working correctly
• Check your Hard disk drive for errors ( if this is a old hard disk drive and has partitions, it is advisable that you backup your data and delete all current partitions and creates new ones for Installing Windows 8 )
• If this is a laptop, Check and make sure you install Windows with Power Adapter plugged in
• If this is a desktop, check your SMPS ( PSU ) unit.

If the Windows 8 Installation still fails, you can use the comment section to notify me & I’ll try to solve your problem.

[Video Tip Inside] This post will help you in setting up a Microsoft Account in your Windows 8 PC. Microsoft account has a lot of benefits over the conventional local account. With Microsoft Account you can download and use applications from Microsoft store, you can also sync your settings across windows 8 based devices that have the same Microsoft account setup in them. By syncing your devices you can have the same look & feel of all your Windows 8 based devices whether it is a Desktop PC at home, work, your laptop or even a tablet.

Let’s checkout this video and then learn more about this:

Hope you liked the video, below is the step by step process that shows how to setup and sync a Microsoft account in Windows 8:

• Make sure that you are connected to the Internet
• Go to the start screen & type user account
• Click on settings from the right pane
• Click on create an account

• Now,
• Click on Add a user account

• Enter your Microsoft based email account here ( Hotmail, live. msn , outlook.com )
• Click on next
• If, You do not have a Microsoft Account,
• You can click on Sign up for a new account and enter you current email address to make that email address your Microsoft Account

• After entering the required information click on Next
• This process might take a few minutes to complete
• Click on Finish
• Now,
• Go to the start menu
• Click on your user name from the Top right corner
• Click on Sign out
• Sign in with your Microsoft Account

• After signing in,
• Go to the start screen
• Type users
• Select users from the listed options
• Here, Turn on Sync settings on this PC
• Change the other options according to your like and feel.

This post is a continuation of the video tip series on this website. Previously I explained the four other charms in Windows 8, i.e. Search, Share, Start & Devices Charm. Today this video tip explains the settings charm in Windows 8. Check out the video tip below and the continue reading the post:

The settings charm in Windows 8 helps you easily find & change the settings / options of the application that you are using. To explain a bit further I will compare this feature with the previous version of Windows. Previously you had to either look for settings within the application that you are using or you had to reach out to control panel to change settings.

Now, you just have to swipe in from right ( on a touch based device) or if you are using a keyboard  / mouse setup, you can mouse your mouse to the right hand side, click on settings charm & change the settings of the application on your screen without having to leave the current window.

These settings differ according to the application that you are using. It could be any application, it could be mail app, or music app or any other app. So start using this great feature.

This Video tip explains the Start & Devices charms in Windows 8. Charms in Windows 8 are a new & intelligent way to interact with your PC. Whether you are using a touch based devices or a conventional keyboard / mouse setup, Charms are always useful. I have already explained the search & share charm in my previous videos. Watch the video & then read the detailed explanation that follows:

Start Charm

The start charm can be used to get to the start screen from anywhere. Or if you are already at the start screen, pressing the start charm will take you to any opened app or desktop. A great tool for multitasking.

Devices Charm

The devices charm can be used to access your installed devices from any opened application. These devices are displayed according the application and it’s compatibility with the device.

This Video post explains the use of share charm in Windows 8. The five charms in Windows 8 add to the overall experience of Windows 8. Share charm let’s the user share content from virtually anywhere within the windows environment. You could be surfing a webpage & want to share the content therein, or you would like to share a picture or a video, share charm let’s helps you do that without leaving the window that you are currently viewing. Watch the video below to know more about the share charm:

This video post explains steps for using the search charm in Windows 8. Search Charm allows you to quickly and efficiently search through your Windows system. You can search for installed apps, some windows settings or any stored files on your storage device. Windows 8 has a very intelligent search system with all the results automatically sorted to categories. This video below explain all the great features of the Search charm in Windows 8.

This post will help you in setting up a second screen on your Windows 8 PC. Multi-monitor setup in Windows 8 is very easy, in just a few simple steps you can start using your second monitor. Follow the steps below to start using a multi monitor setup:

• Swipe in from the right of move your mouse to the right of the screen to the charms bar
• Alternatively you can also press Windows logo key + C to reveal the charms bar
•  an example of the charms bar
• Now,
• Click on Devices
• 
• Clicking on devices will reveal a bar as the screenshot above
• Simply select the Second Screen option from the list of devices shown
• As you click on second screen, a few options will appear on your screen
• 
• Now, By default your computer is set to use the PC screen only
• Use any of the four listed options to either duplicate your current monitor to the secondary monitor
• Extend the display and use both your monitors at the same time
• or simply use the second monitor as your primary display

Few things to remember

• Make sure that you are using proper drivers for your graphic / display adapter. If you are not sure that your have the latest or proper drivers, it is recommended that you first run Windows update on your computer to install all the necessary updates
• Also make sure that you select any hardware driver updates from the optional updates section
• 
• Alternatively, you can visit your computer / Motherboard / Graphic card manufacturer’s support website and get the latest drivers from there

Note: if for some reason you are unable to use this feature, please share your problem in the comments section & I will try to help you out.