Windows XP: Chkdsk Runs at Each Startup

You often observe that as soon as you start your Windows XP computer after an unexpected power outage, chkdsk starts running. If you allow it to complete, normally it won't run at the next reboot. But if you find chkdsk running each time you start the computer, the problem can be more critical than what it appears.

Registry hive might be corrupted and you might need to reinstall Windows from scratch. This solution in-turn necessitates the need for Windows Data Recovery tools, especially when there is no or incomplete data backup available.

After a brief overview of the problem, here is a specific example that illustrates the same issue. Let's say, you upgrade your computer to use Windows XP Professional or Home Edition. Now, when you boot your computer, chkdsk runs. The problem might be ignorable, but this runs each time you boot-up your computer, irrespective of whether the last shutdown has been clean or unclean.

Explanation

The above problem is most likely to occur if one of the below mentioned conditions is true:

• You are using a Hewlett Packard (HP) ScanJet 5100c scanner. Since Hewlett Packard provides a different driver to be used with this scanner on Windows XP versions mentioned above, this problem can root if the specific driver has not been updated yet.

• Software registry hive or System registry hive is corrupted.

User Action

• Try disconnecting the Hewlett Packard (HP) ScanJet 5100c scanner from the computer and check if the issue still persists. If the issue doesn't continue, you need to update the driver required for your scanner. In other situations, your registry hive might be corrupted.

• Boot your computer using Windows XP install CD, backup the original registry files to a temporary folder, and copy them from the repair folder to the System32\Config folder.

If copying the registry hive doesn't work, the last resort is to reinstall Windows and restore lost data from backup. But in case your backup falls short of restoring, use a Windows Data Recovery Software. Using powerful scanning algorithms, a Windows Data Recovery tool can help you recover all lost files and folders, and saving them at a safe location.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is a high-tool that can recover lost or missing data from Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003, and 2000 computers. This Windows Data Recovery Software supports variety of storage media and recognizes more than 185 different file types.

Windows Vista Home Premium Does Not Boot After Installing Automatic Updates

Microsoft provides periodic updates for Windows operating system to install latest security patches and bug fixes. The updates are installed automatically from Microsoft's website, while working on your system. However, in some situations, the updates may render your system unbootable.

The problem can be due to damage to Master Boot Record or other boot files on your Windows hard drive. In such situations, all your valuable data becomes inaccessible and you come across data loss. In order to recover lost data in such cases, Windows Data Recovery Software are required, if you do not have complete backup of your significant data.

In a practical scenario of this problem, you may come across the below behavior after installing automatic updates on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit version:

The system reboots after installing automatic updates and boot process stops halfway with Blue Screen of Death and white cursor on it.

You can not open the 'msconfig' to check system configuration.

When you boot the system in Safe Mode, it stops at the same BSOD with white cursor.

You can not restore the system. It complains that you do not have any restore point.

Holding the Shift key while booting the system, to bypass the execution of the shortcuts in Startup menu, does not do anything.

When you perform in-place upgrade, you get the below error message:

“Upgrade has been disabled- To upgrade, start the installation from Windows”

This behavior of Microsoft Windows does not let you access data from the hard drive, causing serious data loss. In such cases, find out the cause of this issue and perform Windows Recovery to fix it.

Root of the problem

This problem may occur due to corruption to the MBR on your Windows Vista hard drive. It can also be caused by file system errors.

Resolution

To sort out this behavior, you need to repair the MBR on your hard drive. It is possible by using the backup copy of MBR on your hard drive.

In case the problem can not be fixed by repairing MBR, hard drive formatting is required, which removes all the data from hard drive. In such events, you need to use Windows Recovery Software to get your data recovered. The Windows Data Recovery application work in all cases of data loss.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery software recovers lost Windows data in a quick, easy, safe, and absolute way. The software is usable with Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP, and 2000 operating systems. It recovers lost Windows data from NTFS5, NTFS, FAT32, VFAT, FAT16, and FAT12 file system partitions.

Basic Options in Chkdsk.exe Utility to Fix Windows Disk Corruption

Disk corruption is a quite common situation in Microsoft Windows computers. It may occur due to numerous reasons, such as virus infection, file system corruption, improper system shutdown, and other such reasons. In such critical situations, you can try repairing damaged Windows hard drive using Chkdsk.exe utility. It helps you to fix hard drive corruption, prevents data loss, and prevents need of Windows Data Recovery solutions.

• Chkdsk.exe is a command-line utility of Microsoft Windows operating system, which verifies logical integrity of file system on your Windows hard drive. When the tool encounters any logical inconsistency on the drive, it tries to repair the system file, provided it's not in the read-only mode.

Chkdsk.exe utility offers three basic options to fix the problem when you detect disk corruption on Windows hard drive:

• Do not take any action. For significant server, which is required to be online every time, it is generally a choice of requisite. The major drawback of this method is that a minor disk corruption may turn into serious corruption if you do not fix it as quickly as possible. Thus, you should opt for this option only if keeping the system working is more significant than integrity of stored data on corrupted partition.

• Run an absolute Chkdsk. The options repairs damaged file system data, and restores the data that could be retrieved by means of automated process. It may take long time to complete the Windows Recovery process.

• Run the abbreviated Chkdsk using combination of /I and /C switches. The options helps you to repair the types of damage, which can result into severe problems, in less time than full Chkdsk. However, this option may not fix all the corruptions that exists on your Windows drive.

You must keep in mind that the NTFS file system doesn't guarantee the complete integrity of your data after disk corruption, even if you run full Chkdsk immediately after the disk corruption. In such cases, you need to format the Windows hard drive and reinstall Windows operating system to fix logical corruption.

Though, disk formatting can fix all hard drive related problems, but also removes all the data from hard drive. In such situations, you may need to go for Windows Data Recovery Software to get your valuable data recovered. They Recover Windows data in an absolute way using high-end scanning techniques.

Recovering Windows XP after Master Boot Record is damaged

The Master Boot Record (MBR) is a small program that is run when a computer boots up. It resides on the first sector of the hard disk. It contains the partition table for the disk apart from having a program called Master Boot Code. This program is responsible for locating the bootable partition in the system. When it is executed successfully, the partition boot sector is mounted and Windows is loaded in the system.

Hence, it is imperative that MBR should be healthy for the well being of the system. However, sometimes the MBR gets corrupted, thereby making the Windows inaccessible. This could happen because of various reasons such as virus infections, human errors, power outages, etc. In such cases, you should consider taking appropriate measures to recover Windows files. However, if you are not able to fix the issue then you should use a third-party Windows data recovery software to recover Windows.

Consider a scenario wherein you switch on your Windows XP computer system and it fails to boot. This means that all the data stored in the system becomes inaccessible.

Cause:

The most possible cause for this situation is that either the master boot record is damaged or overwritten by some virus.

Resolution:

To address this issue, you can use the Recovery Console using the Windows XP CD. To do this, you need to perform the following steps:

• Boot the system with the Windows XP CD.

• Press R to start the Recovery Console.

• To use the fixmbr utility, type

fixmbr [device_name]

where [device_name] is the device pathname of the drive for which you want to write a new MBR.

The aforementioned steps will help you in writing a new MBR for the default boot drive. However, if you are not able to fix this issue then you should consider connecting the problem hard disk to another computer, and using a third-party Windows data recovery tool to recover Windows files. Such read-only tools are capable of recovering lost data from corrupted Windows systems without overwriting the original data.

Windows 7 Recovery

The Windows 7 System Restore application is accessed from the Windows 7 Recovery page, and can be used to resolve many system problems. Microsoft recommends it as the best recovery method to try first in the event of an Operating System malfunction.

System Restore enables you to undo recent system changes while leaving files such as documents, pictures and music unchanged. It does this by restoring your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. The process may remove recently installed programs and drivers.

The application works on the principle that sometimes, the installation of a program or a driver can cause an unexpected change to your computer or cause Windows to behave unpredictably, and that uninstalling the program or driver will usually correct the problem.

If uninstalling doesn't fix the problem, you may then try restoring your computer's system to an earlier date when everything worked correctly.

System Restore uses its system protection feature to regularly create and save restore points on your computer. Restore points are created automatically every week, and just before significant system events, such as the installation of a program or device driver.

These restore points contain information about registry settings and other system information that Windows uses. You can also create restore points manually.

System image backups stored on hard disks can also be used for System Restore, just like the restore points created by system protection. Even though system image backups contain both your system files and personal data, your data files will not be affected by System Restore.

System Restore isn't meant for backing up personal files, so it cannot help you recover a personal file that has been deleted or damaged. You should regularly back up your personal files to avoid data loss.

Windows Data Recovery

Courtesy: http://www.windows7update.com/Windows7-Recovery.html

Fixing Invalid Dynamic Disk Error in Windows

A disk that has been initialized for dynamic data storage is referred to as dynamic disk. These disks can contain a number of dynamic volumes and can be used just like primary partitions on a basic disk. A dynamic disk with an invalid status is often an indication of data loss. Dynamic disks can have any combination of NTFS, FAT32, or FAT16 volumes or partitions, which might get corrupt for several reasons counting unexpected shutdown and virus infection.

Thus, to recover windows files and folders after any such incidents, it is always vital to retain a copy of all your important data. Failing to do this properly might create undesired problems.

For better understanding, let's consider a Windows disk that prompts that one of its partitions has 'Invalid Dynamic Disk' status. When you view such a partition or volume in 'Disk Management', it appears similar to: 'Disk disk number, (drive letter), dynamic, invalid'. Furthermore, you cannot access any data from such invalid disks. Right-clicking the volume displays an option to convert the disk to basic disk, but when you click over it, the below or similar error message pops up:

“This operation is not allowed on the invalid disk pack.”

Note: Converting a dynamic disk to basic disk deletes all the data that is present on it. Thus, you should do it only in the presence of a suitable data backup.

Explanation

Most of these issues are observed after upgrading to operating systems like, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Home Edition, which do not support dynamic data storage. If this is the case, you can attach the hard disk to a computer running an appropriate version of Windows, which supports dynamic storage such as, Windows XP Professional Edition.

In other cases or if the above solution fails, you need to recreate the volume. To restore consequently deleted data, use you last available backup or a Windows Data Recovery Software. These are specific tools that can Recover Windows Files and folders that are otherwise lost after disk corruption, reformatting, repartitioning, etc.

For effective and safest results, use Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recoverysoftware that has been intensively designed to fulfill all data recovery needs from Windows based computers. Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003, and 2000, this Windows Data Recovery Software natively supports FAT32, VFAT, NTFS, and NTFS5 file systems.

Problem in Boot.ini File and Data Loss in Windows

Is your computer unbootable after upgrading to Microsoft Windows XP? Are you getting errors in the Boot.ini file? This behavior may occur if your system has an invalid Boot.ini file and thus can not boot. In such situations, you are not allowed to log into your system and access the data stored on Windows hard drive. It leads to significant data loss, if there is no backup in place. In such circumstances, you need to use windows data recovery to extract lost data.

As a practical instance, you may come across one or both of the below error messages when you boot your Windows-based computer after upgrading to Microsoft Windows XP:

• Invalid Boot.ini

• Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
  Windows\System32\Hal.dll

In the event of these error messages, your system refuses to boot up and data remains inaccessible. To gain access of your mission-critical data in such cases, you are required to find the root cause of this problem and perform Windows Recovery by fixing it.

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How to Solve Error occurred during directory enumeration

'dir' is a command that allows viewing all the files and directories of a Windows hard drive existing in the current or parent directories. However, on occasions when computer cannot read data from hard drive, it cannot retrieve the directory information as well, thereby resulting in the failure of 'dir' command. Such events generally indicate hard drive corruption, which can be tackled efficiently using suitable hard drive recovery methods.

To be more specific, consider the below error message and then proceed to the methods that can help in solving these problems. The below error can occur when trying to run 'dir' command from Windows Recovery console:

“An error occurred during directory enumeration”

You cannot view the expected list of files and folders on the hard disk as Windows finds it unfeasible to read from hard drive. Most of such issues occur because hard drive has failed or is corrupted.

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Windows 7 backup feature

Windows 7 features a much improved backup center, allowing computer users to easily backup selected data on a schedule or as a one off. It is imperative that regular backups are made, as it is not unreasonable to expect data loss to occur at some point during the lifetime of a PC.

There are plenty of excellent 3rd party backup tools which do an excellent job (such as Acronis True Image), but the Windows 7 backup center is more than adequate for most home users (and doesn't cost a penny!).

To begin, open the Backup Center by typing "Backup" in to the start menu search box, and then click on the "Backup and Restore" application:

Now, click "Set up backup" to begin the backup wizard:

You are now prompted to select a destination to backup your files, which can be a mapped drive or a network location. Once this is done, click Next:

This window will prompt you to choose a backup type, either typical or custom. If you have specific backup requirements you will need to follow the custom procedure. Otherwise, click the "let windows choose" option and then "next":

Now confirm the backup configuration and click "save settings and run backup" when you are satisfied. You have the option to change how often the automatic backup takes place (in this case, every Sunday at 19:00):

Once this is done, Windows will work in the background to create the backup. You can continue working as normal until the backup is completed. If you want to check the backup progress, open the Backup Center again.



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courtesy: www.w7forums.com

AudioShell - A Windows 7 Utility

When I was spring cleaning through my music collection the other day and updating all of my music and ripped CD’s with the appropriate album artwork when it occurred to me that the majority of my video media did not have its own artwork. I use a 32GB Zune HD and like many other PMP’s, it shows a thumbnail of the video clip about 30-45 seconds into the video by default. I was wondering if I would be able to do what I do with audio files to my video files for adding artwork both in Windows 7 and on the Zune HD.

I tried everything I could think to try and inevitably came to what everyone does when they need to do something and doesn’t know how, I googled exactly what I was trying to do, word-for-word. After sifting through the usual amount of articles and posts which offered little to no help, I stumbled on a program called AudioShell.

AudioShell is a great add-on because it doesn’t exactly add a program to your computer, but instead adds a few more tabs in the right-click properties menu of a file. These new tabs allow the user to add and change ID3 metadata tags without the use of a third party program like Mp3tag. Best of all, while it is essentially made for editing information on audio files, it will allow users to edit tag information on certain video formats.

After installation, simply find an accepted video file. In my case, this would be an .mp4 file that I ripped from a Blu-ray disc.

Note: The movies posters were already added to these files.

Right-click on the file and select Properties.

Click on the AudioShell Tag Editor menu tab and select Add Cover.

Navigate to the movie poster file which you saved in advance and click Apply.

Note: After clicking Ok or Apply, it takes a minute for the system to add the picture to the file and show as the thumbnail. The properties window even said “Not Responding”, but eventually worked fine.

These are the supported file types by AudioShell taken from the AudioShell website.

• mp3 (all ID3 tag versions)
• wma, asf and wmv (including DRM protected files)
• Apple iTunes and iPod aac (m4a, m4b, m4v and m4p) and mp4 files
• ogg, flac (vorbis comment tags)
• mpc, mp+ (APE/APEv2 tags)
• monkey’s audio (APE/APEv2 tags)
• wav pack (APE/APEv2 tags)
• optim frog (APE/APEv2 tags)
• wav (ID3v2 tag in ‘tag ‘ RIFF chunk)

As you can see, this is a great way to organize your videos and make them look very nice when viewing through an explorer window. The down side is that the accepted formats do not include .avi and some other prominent file types. Let me know what you think of AudioShell and if anyone has found a similar program to add artwork to .avi files, please let me know in the comments.

Windows data recovery

Courtesy: http://windows7news.com/2010/04/08/windows-7-utilities-audioshell/

Microsoft is going to launch new phones on April 12

Bangalore: Targeting the young smartphone users, Microsoft may unveil a new series of mobile phones on April 12 with social-networking capabilities called 'Pure and Turtle.' The phones are expected to be slider phones, each with a touch screen and keyboard.

The phones will be similar to the T-Mobile Sidekick - a phone developed by Danger, the company that Microsoft acquired in 2008 as part of its expansion in consumer cell phone business. On Monday, Microsoft invited the media to an event on April 12 in San Francisco with the slogan, "It's time to share." Though the company refused to comment on next week's launch, media reports say it would unveil the new phones.

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