Tag Archives: Windows 7

How to Use Cisco AnyConnect VPN Start Before Login on Windows 7

2 Replies

We use Cisco AnyConnect VPN to provide remote users with access to servers behind a firewall. AnyConnect also has a utility that enables users to logon to VPN before logging on to the computer. This is very useful for laptops. The utility is called Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client Start Before Login Components.

Once you have the utility installed, you will be prompted to logon to VPN first on Windows XP. However, it does not prompt you to logon on Windows 7. Here are the steps to get to the VPN prompt on Windows 7 Enterprise:

  1. Press Ctl+Alt+Del at the logon screen.
  2. Click on  Switch User.
     
  3. Click on the new button that now appears beside the power button.
  4. Now you can use the VPN dialog to logon.

Easier Way to Enter Local Computer Name on Logon Screen for Windows 7

3 Replies

It’s easy to switch from a network account to a local account on Windows XP Professional. The logon screen provides a Log on to dropdown box where you can select (this computer). However, this feature has changed in Windows 7: There is no longer a dropdown box on the logon screen anymore. If you want to logon using a local account, you will have to specify the computer name by typing it manually. For example, if the computer name is COMPANY-GROUP-COMP1 and the local user name is LOCAL-USERNAME, you need to enter user name in this format: COMPANY-GROUP-COMP1\LOCAL-USERNAME. This could be a problem since most people do not know their computer names, and entering a long computer name is prone to errors.

I just found this out a couple of weeks ago, and I wish I could have learned of this earlier. Instead of entering the computer name, you can just enter a period (.). So, you can enter .\LOCAL-USERNAME in the logon screen if you want to logon to the computer using a local user account. You do not need to know the computer name, and it’s much easier to type. This also works for the user account control when you run a program as an administrator.


Windows 7: How to Disable Ctrl + Alt + Del on Logon Screen

1 Reply

We just got an Asus Eee Slate EP121. It came pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium edition. Since it was going to be used in an Enterprise environment, I wiped the hard drive clean and installed the Enterprise edition of Windows 7. When the tablet booted up the first time, I noticed a problem. The machine required me to press Ctrl+Alt+Del to log on. I had to connect a USB keyboard and use that to log on. Fortunately, the Eee Slate comes with a wireless keyboard, so it will not be a problem if you have the keyboard paired and ready to use. However, it can be a problem if you are out in the field without either a wired or wireless keyboard handy.

There is a way to disable the pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del requirement, through the Local Security Policy. Here are the steps:

  1. Click on the Windows logo.
  2. Enter secpol.msc and press Enter.
  3. Local Security Policy shows up. Expand Local Policies and then Security Options.
  4. Scroll down on the pane and double click on Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL + ALT + DEL.
  5. Click on Enabled and click on OK.
  6. Reboot the computer. You do not have to press Ctrl + Alt + Del on the log on screen any more. 

“Adobe Updater Install Manager has stopped working” Error Message on Windows 7

3 Replies

After I installed Acrobat Professional 9 on one computer, I tried to run the updater. I got this message: A new version of the Adobe Updater is available for installation. Click on OK to install it now.

If I clicked on OK, it downloaded the new version and tried to install it. However, the installation of the new updater failed, and I got this message: Adobe Updater Install Manager has stopped working.

This happened on two computers, and both computers were running Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit. I went to Adobe’s web site and found the Adobe Updater 6.2. I downloaded the updater manually and installed it. The new updater fixed the problem. The download link is

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4509

How to Update Device Driver in Windows 7

11 Replies

Updating  device drivers is usually the first step in dealing with any hardware-related problems. You can visit the manufacturer’s web site and download the driver manually, or you can let Windows 7 update the driver for you. Here are the steps:

  1. Click on the Windows logo on the task bar and type in device manager. The Device Manager shows up. Click on it to run.
  2. Right click on the device you are interested in and select Update Driver Software… .
  3. Click on Search automatically for updated driver software.
  4. When it finds an updated driver, the driver is downloaded and installed automatically. You can reboot the computer after the driver is successfully installed.

 

File System Browsing Tutorial for Windows 7

Leave a reply

I have a popular post about fixing Any Video Converter’s profile problem by copying one file from one directory to the other directory. A few readers have responded saying that they do not know how to browse the file system and copy files. In this tutorial, I am going to show you how to browse the file system under Windows 7.

By default, there are a lot of hidden directories on Windows 7. The first part of the tutorial shows you how to enable viewing of hidden files and directories. The second part of the tutorial shows you how to browse a directory.

  1. Click on the Windows Explorer icon on the task bar to invoke it.
  2. Click on Organize -> Folder and search options.
  3. Click on the View tab and click on Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Uncheck Hide extensions for known files types and Hide protected operating system files (Recommended). You will be prompted with a warning. Just click on Yes to continue. When done, click on OK.
  4. Now the Window Explorer is ready for you to browse. Here is our example directory: C:\Users\amida\AppData\Roaming\AnvSoft\Any Video Converter\ . Note that this is just an example; your machine does not have this directory. The first letter of the directory path “C:\” denotes the drive. We need to first get to this drive. Click on Computer to show all the drives available. Then, double click on Local Disk (C:) to browse the C drive.
  5. The first level of the directory is Users, so we double click on Users to browse to C:\Users .
  6. The second level of the directory is amida, so we double click on amida to browse to C:\Users\amida .
  7. You can follow the same procedure for the 3rd to 6th levels of the directories, and you’ll finally be able get to your destination directory: C:\Users\amida\AppData\Roaming\AnvSoft\Any Video Converter\ .

To avoid accidental deleting of system files, you might want to repeat step 1 ~ 3 and restore the default viewing settings when you are done browsing.

 

How to Perform System Restore on Windows 7

Leave a reply

System Restore is a great tool that can help you when you first notice something wrong with your system. I have used it numerous times in the past to remove viruses/spyware . You can give it a try if you are running out of ideas on how to fix your sick computer. System Restore rolls back the changes made since the restore point. It rolls back programs, drivers, and registry. It does not alter the documents and data. As a precaution, you are still advised to backup your machine before you try it out.

Here are the steps:

  1. (optional) If you cannot perform System Restore because of the virus/spyware, you can try to boot to safe mode first before you do System Restore. Please follow this post about booting to Safe Mode.
  2. Click on the Windows logo and type system restore in the search box.
  3. Click on System Restore under Programs to invoke System Restore.
  4. Click on Choose a different restore point and click on Next to continue.
  5. Check Show more restore points to see all the available restore points.
  6. Select a restore point before you noticed any problems for your computer and click on Next to continue.
  7. In the next screen, click on Finish to confirm your selection.
  8. Click on Yes for final confirmation.
  9. System Restore begins and it should be done in a couple of minutes. It might take longer for slower machines. Do not interrupt the process. The system will reboot once. When it’s done successfully, you’ll see this dialog.
  10. If for some reason the system restore fails, please repeat the process and pick a different restore point.