WINDOWS 7 TUTORIAL

Windows 7 (beta) only: Even the earliest leaked Windows 7 betas haven’t been around long enough for multi-purpose tweaking tools to come around. SetteMaxer, though, offers a few of the tweaks familiar to the customization crowd.

The screenshot above is exactly what SetteMaxer is—just a handful of check boxes and an “Apply” button. It’s definitely worth reading at the project page below what specifically each feature does when applied, though most are familiar fixes like User Account Control/Defender disablers, menu speed options, and program crash controls. Still, with any tweaking utility of this type, be absolutely sure you want to make a change before you do so—some options, like “disable task scheduler,” can have some serious, system-endangering punch to them.

If you see anything worth enacting in the list above, grab the executable, run it, apply the change, and you can delete it if you want, as SetteMaxer is a stand-alone file. It’s a free download for Windows 7 beta systems only.

If you’re dying to try out Windows 7 but aren’t ready to give up your installation of XP or Vista, let’s take a look at how to dual boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista.

Step 0: Download the Windows 7 Beta and Burn It to a DVD

Assuming you’ve already downloaded a fresh copy of Windows 7, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD in order to do a fresh installation. To handle this task, grab a copy of the most popular CD and DVD burning tool ImgBurn, burn the ISO to a DVD, and move right along to step 1.

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Aero Glass Transparency effect is one of the best features of Windows Vista is also available in Windows 7, but the hardware requirements for Windows Aero 7 is significantly higher than the average user.

Yesterday, we need a way to use the Windows 7 Aero after installing Windows 7 and at least the Aero effects, but also for the system is in practice the requirement for Windows Aero-7 You can use the Windows Registry Hack so Aero 7
Enable Aero in Windows 7, Office Hack

1. Click “Start” and type regedit in the program implementation

2. Now the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ DWM

3. In the details pane, right, after three DWORD (32-bit value)-entry

UseMachineCheck, and set the value to 0.

Blur and set the value to 0.

Animations, and set the value to 0.

4. Close Regedit

5. Click Start, type cmd in administrative Privilige

6. Now enter the following command

Net stop uxsms

Net Start uxsms

Next Stop Start and Session Manager Desktop Window Manager.

7. Now you must try to activate Aero by right-clicking the desktop> Personalize -> Windows colors.

This registry hack to enable Aero in Windows 7 can also be used to install Windows 7 on a virtual machine like Virtual PC 2007, but that does not work in VMware Player, DirectX 9 or not the physical machine video units.

Windows 7

Using the F8 Method:

1. Restart your computer.
2. When the computer starts you will see your computer’s hardware being listed. When you see this information start to gently tap the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly until you are presented with the Windows 7 Advanced Boot Options screen as shown in the image below.

   
   Figure 11. Windows 7 Advanced Boot Options screen
3. Using the arrow keys, select the Safe Mode option you want.
4. Then press the enter key on your keyboard to boot into Windows 7 Safe Mode.
5. When Windows starts you will be at a typical logon screen. Logon to your computer and Windows 7 will enter Safe mode.
6. Do whatever tasks you require, and when you are done, reboot to go back into normal mode.

Using the System Configuration Tool Method:

Note: If you are having trouble entering Safe Mode via the F8 method, you should not use this method to force it to startup into safe mode. For reasons why, you should read this.

1. Close any running programs and open Windows so you are back at the desktop.
2. Click on the Start () button.
3. In the Start Menu Search Box type msconfig as shown in Figure 12 below.
   
   Figure 12. Windows 7 Search box

   Then press enter on your keyboard.

4. The System Configuration utility will open and you will see a screen similar to the one below.
   Figure 13. Windows 7 System Configuration Utility

   Click on the Boot tab.

5. You will now be at the Boot screen as shown below.
   Figure 14. Windows 7 Boot tab in the System Configuration utility

   Put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Safe boot

6. Press the Apply button and then press the OK button.
7. You will now be presented with a prompt stating that you need to reboot the computer to apply the change.
   Figure 15. Restart Prompt

   Click on the Restart button to reboot your computer.

8. Your computer will now restart directly into Safe Mode. When you get to the Vista logon screen, log on to the computer and perform any necessary tasks.
9. When done with your tasks, from within Safe Mode, start msconfig.
10. When the program is open, and you are on the General tab, select the option labeled Normal Startup.
11. Then press the Apply button and then the OK button.
12. When the programs prompts you to reboot, allow it to do so, and you will boot back into Windows Vista in normal mode.

Problems that can occur by forcing Safe Mode using the System Configuration Utility

It is possible to make your computer continuously boot up into safe mode using the System Configuration utility as described above. The program does this by changing your boot.ini file, the settings file that configures your computer’s boot sequence, and adding the /safeboot argument to your operating systems startup line. An example of this can be seen below.

When you are done using safe mode, you would then run the System Configuration utility again and uncheck the /Safeboot option, thus removing the /safeboot argument from the boot.ini file, and allowing your computer to boot up normally.

On a computer that is operating properly this is normally not a problem. Unfortunately, though, a new trick that some of the more recent malware are using is to delete certain Windows Registry keys so that your computer can not properly boot into safe mode. It is in these situations that using the System Configuration utility to boot into safe mode can cause the computer to become inoperable for many users.

This is because once you set the computer to boot into Safe Mode using /Safeboot, it will continuously attempt to start Safe Mode until the /safeboot argument is removed from the boot.ini. Since the malware is not allowing us to actually boot into safe mode, you have no way of getting to a point where you can run the System Configuration utility again to uncheck the /Safeboot option. Thus, you are stuck with a computer constantly attempting to get into safe mode and not being able to do so.

If a situation like this has happened to you it is possible to fix this problem by renaming your boot.ini file. The first step would be to use a boot disk to start your computer. If your computer does not have a floppy disk, then you can typically boot off the Windows CD that came with your computer in order to access the Windows Recovery Console. More information about the Windows Recovery Console can be found here. Once booted to a command prompt, you would simply rename your C:\Boot.ini file to another name like C:\Boot.ini.bak. The command to rename the file at the command prompt is:

ren C:\Boot.ini Boot.ini.bak

Once the file is renamed, you can then remove the boot disk and reboot your computer to get back to normal mode. When booting up after the rename, do not be surprised if you see an error stating that you do not have a valid Boot.ini file. When you get back to normal Windows mode, you can then rename C:\Boot.ini.bak to C:\Boot.ini and run Msconfig again to remove the /safeboot flag.

Conclusion

It is not uncommon when people are helping you troubleshoot your computer that they tell you to enter Safe Mode. With this tutorial you should now know how to enter Safe Mode when it is required.

I am often asked whether I believe that if Windows 7 is the value of sale. What is interesting about the release of the latest Microsoft operating systems is that one for themselves freely.

And it can be so in a way that is not on their current team.

That’s because not only has Microsoft made a release candidate of Windows 7 available for anyone to download, but there’s an excellent, free, cross-platform program that lets you run Windows 7 virtually. VirtualBox, which is now owned by Sun Microsystems, works on Windows, Mac and Linux PCs, and if you’re not interested in investing any cash, it’s the best way to try out Windows 7 on the computer you’re currently using.

For those who’ve never experimented with running operating systems virtually, it’s a pretty simple concept. You’re creating a simulated, software-based computer within your physical, hardware-based one. You then install the operating system into this virtual machine, and run it just as you would a “real” PC.

It’s this virtualization technology that enables Windows XP Mode in some versions of Windows 7, on some machines.

You can run the OS in a window on your computer’s desktop, like any other program. You can run it full screen, so it appears that you are running just the guest operating system. Or, you can run it seamlessly, so the Windows desktop is not visible and applications appear to float freely, side by side with your physical machine’s programs.

There are some caveats. You’ll need to have a fairly powerful computer, with a decent amount of memory to run Windows 7. VirtualBox’s system requirements are vague, but I’d recommend at least a 2-gigahertz processor and at least 2 gigabytes of memory. The latter is most important, because you’ll be sharing your system RAM with the operating system you run inside VirtualBox, and you’ll want to set up Windows 7 to use at least a gigabyte of memory.

What follows is a visual tutorial for setting up Windows 7 in the latest version of VirtualBox. I’m going to focus on getting VirtualBox up and running, as well as installing the VBAdditions, which are drivers that make Windows 7 work better. I’m not going to cover installing Windows 7 itself, as it’s pretty much like installing the OS in a physical machine, and there are plenty of tutorials for that on the Web.

The screenshots you see here were captured on a Mac, but VirtualBox interface is similar on Windows and Linux machines.

Begin by downloading and installing VirtualBox on your computer. Once it’s installed, launch the program and you’ll be presented with the welcome screen.

Click the New button to begin the process of setting up your virtual machine.

The Create New Virtual Machine wizard launches. Click Next.

You’ll need to tell VirtualBox what operating system you want to install. While the software can handle all kinds of versions of Windows – as well as Linux, Unix and even OS/2 – you’ll want to select Windows 7 in this case. Give your virtual machine a name on this screen, too. Click Next.

Next, set your memory size. At the very least, you’ll want to set it to 1 GB, though you may be able to get away with 768 MB. (Note that you can go back and change this later.) I’ve got a 4 GB on my iMac, so I set the RAM to 2 GB for the virtual machine. Click Next.

Now you’ll need to set up the virtual hard drive, which is a file that mimics a physical disc. Leave the settings here at their defaults and click Next.

Here you’ll choose the type of virtual drive. You want to choose a dynamically expanding drive, which starts out small and grows as needed. This takes up the least amount of space on your real hard drive. Click Next.

Here you’ll choose the size. The default is 10 GB as shown here, and that’s really not adequate if you’re planning to install many applications on your virtual machine. I recommend between 20-30 GB, though you can go higher. Click Next when you’re done changing the size.

The next screen shows you a summary of your virtual disk. If you’re happy with what you see, click Finish.

You see one more summary screen, which shows the overall configuration of your virtual machine. If everything looks fine, click Finish.

You’ll be back at the screen where you started, which is called the Virtual Media Manager. Make sure the Windows 7 virtual machine you created is selected, then click the green Start arrow.

Here’s where you begin the process of installing the operating system. If you downloaded the Windows 7 RC .ISO file and burned it to a DVD, insert that disc into your DVD drive if it’s not already there. However, you don’t need to use a physical DVD, because the file you downloaded is a disc image – it can substitute for a physical disk.

Click Next.

If you’re using a physical DVD, just click Next at this screen. If you’re installing from the .ISO file, click the Image File button and then the folder icon to navigate to where you stored the file when you downloaded it. Once you’ve selected it, click Next.

The next screen shows you a summary of the source for the operating system installation. Click Finish.

Windows 7 should begin to install.

. . . And you’ll come to the familiar Windows installation screen. From here, follow the prompts to install Windows 7.

Once Windows 7 is place, you’ll need to install the Guest Additions. These improve the way your virtual machine performs, and make it easier to move between your virtual machine and your host operating system.

For example, if you don’t have the Additions installed, clicking inside the virtual machine’s window causes the mouse to be “stuck” there. To move your mouse cursor back to the host operating system, you must hit a pre-determine escape key (on the Mac, it’s the Command or Apple key; in Windows, it’s the Control or CTRL key). With Additions installed, your mouse cursor moves seamlessly between the guest and host operating systems.

Installing the Additions is the trickiest part of this process. The files are in an .ISO file. You have to tell VirtualBox to connect to or mount the .ISO file and then run it.

Begin by clicking on Devices in the VirtualBox menu, then Unmount CD/DVD ROM. (Again, this is on a Mac, but the menus and processes are the same in Windows and Linux.) This will disconnect the physical DVD drive or the .ISO file used for the Windows installation.

Next, in the Devices menu again, click Mount CD/DVD ROM, then CD/DVD-ROM Image.

This will bring up the Virtual Media Manager, and you’ll see the VBoxGuestAdditions.iso file. Click it, then click Select.

The AutoPlay box should pop up. Click on Run VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe.

Now you’ll see Guest Additions setup wizard.

Click Next, and follow the prompts. When you’re done, the virtual machine will reboot. When it comes back up, your Windows 7 RC installation will be ready to use.

You’ll note that Windows 7 in VirtualBox doesn’t show the translucent Aero interface. That’s a trade-off for testing the OS this way. Currently, no virtualization software enables Aero.

And VirtualBox is just one way to run Win7 virtually. It’s a decent program, but is not as feature-rich or as polished as VMWare Workstation or Parallels Desktop. But if your goal is to determine whether you want to upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out, it’s the most cost-efficient way to do it.

If you’re interested in reading more about running Windows in virtual environments, particularly if you use a Mac, you may want to read my book on the subject.