Tech Solutions Category

Change the Wallpaper of Windows 7 Starter

How do you change the wallpaper (or even the theme) of your Windows 7 Starter OS? Read on below.

When I was having my usual haircut at a salon near our house, my hairstylist (well, he just cuts my hair and I guess he doesn’t want to be called a barber), asked me for help on a problem in his laptop. I momentarily glanced at his table and there I saw his newly purchased gadget. I was quite surprised that there was already a problem when it was obviously brand new. He told me he’s been trying to change the wallpaper of his laptop for days and he couldn’t change it.

Now right after my haircut, I checked his laptop and saw that it was in Windows 7. When I checked what version/edition – voila! It was Windows 7 Starter. 

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Windows 7 Starter Default Wallpaper

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Web Folders / Web disk / WebDAV problems on Windows 7

If you’re using Windows 7 and you encounter problems in using web folders or web disks (or more technically known as Windows Web Client or WEBDAV) how do you fix it?

Ever since the launch of Windows 7, I’ve been asked this question several times. Many people have already reported to me that they’re experiencing connection and setup problems for web folders or web disks (also called web client or WebDAV) .

I personally have Windows 7 64-bit in one of my PCs and I’m also having problems using web folders. Whenever I try to setup a web folder by “adding a network location” or “map a network drive” through My Computer, I’m given an error saying that either “The folder you entered does not appear to be valid. Please choose another” or “Windows cannot access… Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise, there might be…”. These errors appear whether I’m using SSL or non-SSL.

Web Folders Web disk problems WEBDAV Windows 7 graphic01

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Adobe Flash Player Error / Pop-up: Where is the Debugger or Host Application Running?

Have you ever encountered the error or pop-up Adobe Flash Player: Where is the debugger or host application running? Here’s how to fix it.

A friend recently complained to me that whenever she was browsing the net, she would get an error or pop-up saying: Adobe Flash Player: Where is the debugger or host application running? There would then be two choices: Localhost and Other Machine (directly below it is Enter IP address). She says that this always happens to her even though she upgraded from Adobe Flash Player 9 to Adobe Flash Player 10.

It gets pretty annoying as it always pops up several times in websites with flash graphics. And you can’t proceed any further without clicking “Ok” or “Cancel”

Adobe Flash Player 9 Error Pop-up Where is the Debugger or Host Application Running graphic01

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Change / Modify / Reassign the Keys or Buttons of a Keyboard in Windows

Ever want to change the input of the keys / buttons of your keyboard in Windows (keyboard layout)? Or maybe just interchange the input of two keys like the Alt and Ctrl key? Here’s how.

It’s a challenge to find a laptop with the right mix. It has to have the specs you’re looking for, features you want, design that’s acceptable, and must fit your budget. However, sometimes we tend to neglect some of the minor things we should also be looking out for when buying a laptop – which is the keyboard button layout.

Have you ever felt that one of the keys in your keyboard just doesn’t feel to be in the right place? You felt that the Ctrl key shouldn’t be there and should be in the place of the Alt key? Or one of the keys needs to be disabled?

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Windows Vista / Windows XP Blank Screen after Login – Version 2

There is another version of the virus/worm/Trojan which makes your Windows Vista or Windows XP show a blank screen after login. This is how to fix it.

There is another variant of the virus/worm/Trojan which makes your Windows Vista or Windows XP blank after login. We’ve discussed in an earlier article how to fix a previous variant of this virus (you can find the previous article here), but this variant requires another kind of approach.

To be more specific, the virus we discussed previously had 4 types of processes which it runs that we had to stop and delete – services.exe, lsass.exe, usb-hi.exe, and kbdrv16.com

However, this other kind of virus only has 2 types of processes which it runs that we have to stop and delete – services.exe and kbdrv32.com

Notice that the previous virus was kbdrv16.com, but now it is kbdrv32.com.

When you have this kind of virus its main symptom is still the same: Windows Vista / Windows XP displays a blank screen showing only the mouse pointer after booting-up (after the login screen which is usually after clicking the username).

 

Solution:

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Windows Vista / Windows XP Blank Screen after Login

How to fix your Windows Vista / Windows XP after it shows a blank screen after login.

A few days ago, I was referred by a friend of a friend, who had another friend who was having some problems with her PCs (pretty far huh?). She said that she can’t use her PCs anymore as both show a blank screen after Windows boot-up. It was weird that both PCs were showing the same problem that I had to see it myself. It got even weirder as one PC had Windows Vista, and the other had Windows XP.

The problem: Windows Vista or Windows XP displays a blank screen showing only the mouse pointer after booting-up (after the login screen which is usually after clicking the username).

 

Solution for Windows Vista / Windows XP Blank Screen after Login

Make sure first that the Task Manager is working by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL, and choosing Task Manager. If Task Manager doesn’t work, then this guide cannot help you.

Moreover, unless specified, the steps below are both applicable for Windows Vista and Windows XP.

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Open .docx .xlsx and .pptx Files using Office 2000 / XP / 2003

With just a simple update of your Microsoft Office 2000, XP, or 2003, you would now be able to open Microsoft Office 2007 files (.docx, .xlsx, and, .pptx).

A lot of the people I know still use Microsoft Office 2003. Some still use Office 2000 and Office XP. A few of them are using Microsoft Office 2007.

There would be a few instances however; that these people still using Microsoft Office 2000, XP, and 2003 would need to open a Microsoft Office 2007 document. Microsoft Office 2007 documents are now saved in a new format which is .docx (Microsoft Word), .xlsx (Microsoft Excel), and .pptx (Microsoft Powerpoint). If you tried to open these documents in Microsoft Office 2000, XP, and 2003, you wouldn’t be able to.

 

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Microsoft Office by robertnelson

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Can’t Update Avira Antivir (No Valid License File / Key Expired)

When you can’t update your Free Avira Antivir Personal Edition Antivirus due to “No Valid License File” or Expired License, here is how to solve it.

I have the free antivirus Avira Antivir Personal Edition installed in my laptop but rarely update it as it doesn’t always have an Internet connection. When I do have an Internet connection, I even forget to update the Avira Antivir.

When I did remember one time, I tried to update the Avira Antivir when I was connected to the Internet. However the update failed and it gave me the error message “No Valid License File Found”. When I viewed the error logs, it indicated that the License Key has expired.

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Activate Your Iphone 3G

Do you have a new Iphone 3G or you’ve just reset it? Inserted your SIM and it doesn’t work and says locked SIM? Here’s a step-by-step guide on activating it.

If you happen to have an Iphone 3G and inserting a SIM card doesn’t make it work, then you might not have activated it. The Iphone 3G is not your regular phone where you just plug in your SIM and it’s ready to go. Remember it’s an IPOD and phone rolled into one.

 

Let’s first install your SIM card into your Iphone 3G. You just need to use the small metal pin provided by Apple, and use it to push at the small hole located at the top of the Iphone 3G to reveal the SIM card slot.

 

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Top Reasons for a Slow PSP

Last week a friend of mine went to Singapore and then brought home a PSP for her kids. It was working great. All her games loaded properly. The sound was great. The controls were awesome. It was also fast. 

However, after a week or so of playing it started to really slow down. It wasn’t just slow. It was really, really slow. The main menu of her PSP was so slow that the screen was sometimes flickering. It would take you about 5 minutes or longer before you can even go to the menu where you can choose and play a game.  

If you even got to choose a game, loading time is impossible to bear. If for some reason you were able to wait (I tried sleeping), the gameplay was in slow motion. 

Image Credit: Baby Turtle 023 by cygnus921

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