Some Minor Problems I Encountered in Upgrading to a 64-bit Windows 7

I decided to reformat my PC and perform a clean install of a 64-bit Windows 7 after I added a 2GB RAM on my PC that makes a total of 4GB RAM.  The installation was successful, I also downloaded some 64-bit apps and installed them.  After installing all the applications and programs I need, I thought all is well, but I got some problems. The problems I encountered are minor but a bit annoying.  The solution is you have to search the cloud for a workaround.  Now why I am blogging this if I can just search the cloud for a solution? Simple, I just want to share my experience.

Problem 1:  Windows Live Essentials Setup

I downloaded the setup file for Windows Live 2011, as usual you have to double click the setup file or click it once and hit the Enter key to initialize setup. During the initialization an error occurred it says that the setup was unable to download Windows Live Essentials since I don’t have an internet connection.  It gives me an error code of 0x80070005.  I verified my connection and restarted my router and modem but of no luck my setup cannot proceed and keeps on giving me the same error. I search the web for a solution and landed on windowslivehelp.com.  In one of the threads it says that a solution for this error is simple, you have to be an administrator to to setup Live Essentials.  But I am running an administrator account so why I can’t setup Live Essentials.  Here’s the solution from windowslivehelp.com:

You can install Windows Live programs on your computer only if you have Administrator access. You will receive the Error 0x80070005 if you are signed in to a Windows profile that does not have administrative privileges on the computer.

1. Verify that you are logged on as a user who has administrator credentials.

a. Go to computer or my computer option based on your operating system version:

Read More…

To be sure I did follow the instructions, just in case I overlooked something, but still setup can’t proceed. An idea came to my mind, maybe I got issues on my desktop ownership since this is a fresh install.  I checked the ownership and sure enough my username was there with full control status.  My last resort was right clicking the setup file and clicking Run as Administrator and tada! my setup proceeded flawlessly.

Problem 2: Windows Mobile 6.5 can’t Sync with with Outlook 2010

Since I have a 64-bit OS its customary to install a 64-bit applications as well.  So I installed a 64-bit MS Office Professional Plus 2010.  I plugged in my my Samsung Omnia running on Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows 7 detected it, downloaded necessary drivers and installed a 64-bit Windows Mobile Device Center.  I thought I’m all set to sync my phone with Outlook 2010 but when I started the Windows Mobile Device Center it gave me a notification that says, “Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Outlook and set it as the default mail client.”  I checked my Outlook settings and yes Outlook is my default mail client.

I searched the web for a possible solution and I found one!  Every forums I checked gave only one answer, “You need to use 32bit to have any chance of syncing.” So I uninstalled my 64-bit MS Office and replaced it with a 32-bit one.  I tried to start the 32-bit Outlook and it gave me another error that says “Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. The set of folders could not be opened…”  I remembered the 64-bit Outlook connector was not removed when I uninstalled the 64-bit MS Office.  So what I did was to replace the 64-bit Outlook connector with a 32-bit one which corrected the error.  I started Outlook 2010 and Windows Mobile Device Center to sync my phone and yes true enough, a 32-bit Outlook is needed to sync my phone.

I really need to learn more on 64-bit OS and apps.  My only advice is, if you can’t find the solution to your PC problem search the cloud or simply go to

http://support.microsoft.com/

http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal/ 

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us 

You will find a lot threads there which may answer your questions or you may just post your questions and the community experts will be more than willing to answer it.  You may also want to participate in discussion threads and help other people to maximize their PC experience.

Learn Windows 7 Deployment for free!

The Windows 7 Deployment Learning Portal is already in TechNet for quite sometime now, waiting for eager IT pros and enthusiast to register for this free training with absolutely no responsibilities! You just have to go to the site, register, select a module and take the test.  Passing rate is 80%.

Did not pass the test? Don’t worry cause it’s not the end.  The good thing about this program is that it will give you or recommend different articles related to the topic for you to read then you may take the test again with f;lying colors! :)

In a Tweet from MSSpringboard, “Peeps! If you haven't logged on to the Windows 7 Deployment Learning Portal yet, you are missing out!”  Take a look now and register!

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ff470986.aspx?ITPID=rotator

Buy a Genuine Windows 7 and win a 32” LCD TV!

Planning to upgrade and move to Windows 7? Rush now to Gilmore and get a chance to take home a 32” Panasonic LCD TV.  There’s an on going promo for buyers of genuine Windows 7.  Just present your proof of purchase to the promo booth, claim your free Microsoft Security Essentials and Internet Explorer 9 Beta CD, and your free Windows 7 item through pick-a-prize.

Participating Windows 7 editions are the following

• Windows 7 Home Basic OEM and FPP = 1 raffle coupon
• Windows 7 Home Premium OEM and FPP = 1 raffle coupon
• Windows 7 Professional OEM and FPP = 2 raffle coupons
• Windows 7 Ultimate OEM and FPP = 2 raffle coupons

Winners will be notified by phone and email and may claim their prize at Microsoft Philippines head office.  What are you waiting for rush now to your favorite computer store at Gilmore and purchase a genuine Windows 7, who knows this might be your lucky day!

Windows Live Essentials just got updated!

A popup in the notification area in my taskbar tells that there’s an available update for the Windows Live Essentials Beta.  By just clicking the link my computer started to download the update, installed in a few minutes and prompted me to restart my computer.  Now let’s see what changes in the Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta.

Some noticeable changes are the following.

The  Windows Live folder gets omitted in the All Programs menu in the Start Menu.  A new folder was created named Windows Live Accessories which includes the Live Family Safety Beta, Live Sync Beta, and Live Writer Beta.  Now you might might be wondering where did the other applications go? The Live Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, and Movie Maker Beta is now being relocated at the top along with Windows Media Player, DVD Maker, etc. right before the applications folders.

The splash screen of the Live Writer was changed to Windows Live Writer 2011.  Also the Writer has now better integration with Office retaining formatting when copied from MS Word and other office programs.

Just with evaluating it in few minutes, the best feature that amazed me is that Live Messenger has now the capability to connect with Facebook Chat! By just connecting my Live Messenger to my Facebook account, I can chat with my Facebook friends without logging on on to my Facebook the traditional way using a browser!  Another nice feature in the Messenger is that while chatting with two of my friends I noticed that the Messenger just used one window and created a tabs with my friends name on it (will it be called ‘Tabbed Chatting'” haha)

To prove that I can use Messenger to chat with my Facebook friend, here it is.  Our conversation both in Messenger and Facebook chat is just the same

There’s a lot more improvements out there, I’ll let you know in few days.  For now I strongly recommend that you update you Windows Live Essentials.  The updated Live Essentials can be downloaded here.

 

Want to know more?  Join Windows7ako the official Windows 7 community in the Philippines!  You can ask help and questions regarding Windows 7 there and also get to meet the members of the community during the meetups!

Installing the Windows 7 SP1 Beta

After downloading the much anticipated Service Pack for Windows 7, here comes the installation.  So let’s see, I have Windows 7 Enterprise installed on my notebook with AMD Athlon Neo dual core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 320 GB of hard disk space.  Should my specs be enough?

As per checking, Installation requirements of the Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 is the same as the requirements for installation of the Windows 7 RTM (1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor,  1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit),  16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit), DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver, and DVD-compatible drive).  This time the only requirement that you need to comply with, is that an RTM version of Windows 7 must be installed in your system to cater the installation of the SP1.  So does my notebook complied with the requirements? Yes! So let’s install the SP1 Beta!

Before installing the  SP1, it is recommended that you have to backup your current settings or your system.  Though Microsoft assured that we can always uninstall the SP1, creating an image of your system will be enough for easy restoration should any problems will occur after the SP1 installation.  After backing up your system, you may now proceed with the installation.

The SP1 comes in a 1.2 GB ISO file.  Either you’ll burn the file in a blank DVD or just mount it in your virtual drive.  The ISO file includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the SP1 Beta for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. 

To start with the installation, you must close or exit all running programs and applications so that it won’t interfere with the setup process.  Below is the step by step screenshot of the setup process.

And there you go the Beta release of the Windows 7 SP1 is now installed in your system!  Just a reminder this is a Beta release which means bugs may be encountered!  If so, you are encouraged to report or to send a feedback to Microsoft for them to make a fix on any bug or problem encountered during the evaluation period.

For more information about the Windows 7 SP1 Beta you may download the documentations here.  The following documentation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta is included in the link provided:

• Hotfixes and Security Updates included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta

• Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Notable Changes

• Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Test Guidance

For additional information (including how to deploy the service pack and how to join the public beta), please see http://technet.microsoft.com/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx. Support URLs: http://technet.microsoft.com/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta

The IT community has been anticipating the release of the Service Pack 1 of of the best selling operating system Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.  Now the waiting is over as the Beta release of the Service Pack 1 (SP1) is already available for testing.  Target population of the SP1 Beta are IT people who wants to test  the pre-release of the SP1. 

I just installed the SP1 Beta into my netbook to see how it goes, is it stable? Will improve my PC performance? That remains to be seen.  According to Microsoft the SP1 Beta is a compendium of the previously released updates (based on end users’ feedback) for Windows 7 and Sever 2008 R2.  As per documentation from Microsoft the SP1 contains almost 500 hotfixes and security updates for Windows 7.  After installing the service pack I noticed that my bootup is now faster than before (I’m using Windows 7 Enterprise).   Also, one noticeable change is the watermark appearance at the right bottom corner of my desktop that says, “Windows 7 Evaluation copy. Build 7601”, a number higher than the original Windows 7 RTM build 7600.

So what do we expect with the SP1 Beta of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2? To answer that let’s see the documentation from Microsoft.  Here are some notable changes for both OS:

Changes Specific for Windows 7

1. Additional support for communication with third-party federation services
2. Improved HDMI audio device performance
3. Corrected behavior when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents

Changes Specific for Windows Server 2008 R2

1. Dynamic Memory
2. Microsoft RemoteFX
3. Enhancements to scalability and high availability when using DirectAccess
4. Support for Managed Service Accounts (MSAs) in secure branch office scenarios
5. Enhancements to Failover Clustering with Storage
6. Support for increased volume of authentication traffic on domain controllers connected to high-latency networks

Changes Common to both Client and Server Platform

1. Change to behavior of “Restore previous folders at logon” functionality
2. Enhanced support for additional identities in RRAS and IPsec
3. Support for Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)

The full documentation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta can be downloaded here (validation required).

The Windows 7 and  Windows Server 2008 Server R2 Service Pack 1 Beta can be downloaded here. You must have a live.com account to download the SP1 Beta.

Windows 7 Enterprise 90 Day Trial - EXTENDED!

Yes it’s extended! The 90-day trial for Windows 7 Enterprise is extended until December 31, 2010.  Target population of the said trial is IT Pros who wants to test and explore the product for application and hardware compatibilities, and develop deployment scenarios in their corporate environment. This full working Windows 7 Enterprise will not require a product key since it’s already embedded with the download.

Upon installation of the 90-day trial, the user must activate the product within 10 days or the system will shut down every hour otherwise it’s activated.  When the trial period expires, the user will experience hourly shut down.  User is advised and is required  to have a clean installation of Windows 7 if he/she wish to continue using the product. 

Minimum System Requirements:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
• DVD-compatible drive
• Internet access (fees may apply)

Note: Keep in mind that you can’t find Windows 7 Enterprise in not available in retail channels.

Try Windows 7 Enterprise now!

Ancient OS @ 50% Off :)

With the introduction of Windows 7 to the PC Republic (?) :), it’s clearly that it (Windows 7) outflanked the sales of its predecessors, the Vista and XP.  It’s not also surprising that PC retail stores has this difficulty of selling retail versions Vista and XP due to Windows 7’s popularity.  Who wants Vista and XP if Windows 7 has it all?  Windows 7 has clearly the speed of XP and the improved looks of Vista!

Now here’s the proof! Last week I went to Park Square 1 in Makati to buy an ink for my Mom’s printer.  During my visit to certain computer stores, I’ve seen retail versions of Windows Vista and XP displayed in a shelf with a red tag that it sells at 50% Off! :p

I’ve nothing against Windows Vista and XP since they also came from Microsoft and good OSes if I may add, but with Windows 7, anything is possible! (haha) :p

Support ends for Windows 2000, XP SP2, and Vista RTM

After several years in service, support and updates for several Windows versions will end in the coming months as Microsoft announced.  While Windows Vista is only just over three years old, support for Windows Vista RTM or SP0 will end on April 13, 2010, and to continue to receive updates for this version you have to use your Windows Update and download the latest Service Pack 2 (you should know that Service Pack 1 must be installed first before SP2).  Same thing will happen if you’re still using Windows XP SP2, support for this version will end on July 13, 2010, and of course if you really love your Windows XP  you need to update it and download the latest Service Pack 3 or if your hardware is not that old, take the advice from me (haha) and from Microsoft to upgrade or migrate to their latest Windows operating system which is Window 7!

While updates from Windows Vista and XP will continue as long as you install the latest service packs, the case for Windows 2000 is different.  Support for all versions Windows 2000 will end on July  13, 2010 and of course you really need to upgrade to a newer version of Windows if want your system to continue to receive updates.

A Microsoft press release says that "Customers running an unsupported version of Windows or service pack will not be eligible for any of our support options. Updates, including security updates released with bulletins from the Microsoft Security Response Center, will be reviewed and built for the supported versions and service packs only."

That’s it folks you have only two options, either you update to the latest service pack or migrate to the latest and more secured Windows 7! :)

Windows 7 RC Bi-Hourly Shutdown Will Begin in 2 Days

The time has come! Either you upgrade or downgrade your operating system.  The bi-hourly shutdown of Windows 7 RC will begin on March 1, 2010. If you are still using Windows 7 Release Candidate you should have received an expiration notification in the notification area at the far right of your taskbar which has begun last February 15, 2010. Two days from now, on March 1, 2010, the next stage of expiration will start. An expiration notification will continue to appear plus your PC will start to shutdown every two hours and Windows won’t save your work during shutdown. The doomsday (expiration) of Windows 7 RC will be on June 1, 2010, Windows starts to a black desktop plus a Windows Activation dialog box that says you are running a non-genuine Windows plus the bi-hourly shutdown.

To upgrade your Windows 7 RC version you must have a genuine Windows 7 RTM (final release) disc and do a clean installation. Note: You must backup first your important files as a clean installation won’t save your files, settings, and programs.

If you don’t have the final release of Windows 7, you can reinstall or downgrade to your previous version of Windows (Vista, XP, etc), and again you must back-up your files before downgrading. :)

Pre-order Your Windows 7 Today!

To anticipate the excitement of the Filipino Tech community, Microsoft Philippines announced that pre-ordering of their newest operating system, Windows 7 has already begun.  The said promo will last from October 15 to November 6, 2009, before its official launching here in the Philippines on November 7, 2009.  


The product featured for pre-ordering is Windows 7 Home Basic at a discounted price of PhP 7,777.00 from the regular price of PhP 8,000.00.  To avail for this promo, you must go to the nearest or any Microsoft participating reseller and deposit 50% of the total amount and pay in full when you claim your Windows 7 Home Basic on the day of its launching on November 7, 2009!

Participating resellers are the following:

NCR Resellers

1. Amazon Computer
2. Electroworld
3. Macro Mind
4. Silicon Valley
5. TCA
6. Dataview
7. Gigahertz Computer Corporation

Provincial Resellers

1. Silicon Valley (SM City Cebu)
2. Enigma Technologies (Angeles City)
3. Digital Interface (Davao City)
4. Electrowolrd (SM City Cebu)
5. Global Chips Technologies (CDO)
6. Dataworld Computer Center (CDO)

For those those who bought a qualifying / eligible PC or Notebook from June 26, 2009 through January 31, 2010 you’re lucky for you may upgrade your operating system to Windows 7 for free! Here’s an upgrade option paths to Windows 7:

Windows Vista Home Premium PC => Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows Vista Business PC => Windows 7 Professional
Windows Vista Ultimate PC => Windows 7 Ultimate

Note: Microsoft Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Starter Edition and Windows XP (all editions) do not qualify for upgrades to windows 7 under the said promo or program.

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