Troubleshooting operating systems

Action Center

A one-page aggregation of event messages, warnings, and maintenance messages in Windows 7.

Compatibility error

Apps are written with a certain versions of windows in mind, they grow older over time, you have to be able to get your newest version of windows to run with apps that were made for older versions of windows. There are some strict limitations, some programs simply will not work. Use compatibility mode settings to manage compatibility in windows. You can right click the icon and hit troubleshoot compatibility

Recovery Console

Command-line interface boot mode for Windows that is used to repair a Windows XP system suffering from massive OS corruption or other problems. You can use optical media to boot into it. You can make/move/delete directories from here.

Boot order is wrong.

Devices are disabled on accident.

Hardware

Ensure storage device for boot up is functioning. Any error with the word "device" in it signifies a hardware issue. Ensure all device cables are plugged in and working.

Desktop

Getting your windows to boot to a desktop, there are a number of factors that can prevent this. "Missing operating system" "missing BCD" Boot into recovery environment and fix from optical media or thumb drive.

Refresh your PC

Goes through a broad cross section of very specific microsoft functions, its exact functions are unknown, you can do this anytime its harmless.

four different groups of problems behind boot issues

Hardware Bios Desktop 4. Auto start

Advanced Startup Options menu

Helps you get to a place where you can fix windows issues, it doesn't solve the problem itself.

windows 10 recovery environment access

Hold the shift key while clicking restart

System lockups

If you are running an app in a system and it locks up you need to ask yourself "is it the app that caused it"? In general if an app is causing the system lockup it will do it at the same time every time. If an app keeps casing your system to shit, try a reboot, reboot into safe mode and uninstall the application. After this wait a while to see if your system is running fine to really zero in on the fact that it was the application. Before reinstalling the program research the app to see if people are having the same problem.

Missing service error

If you get this go to services and see if its running. After a reboot if it turns off again go to MSconfig and make sure its turned on the start up itself. If this doesn't resolve it, you need to reinstall the app that brought the service in the first place. If that doesn't fix it, use the internet to search for issues.

Bios

No boot device present" When an alternative OS boots up that you didn't plan.

Event Viewer

Shows all the stuff that happens in windows. Expressed on logs .

Auto start-

Slow startup- too many programs auto starting.

Event viewer-

Tool that you use when something has gone wrong, this holds windows logs of it so i can research a fix. Doesn't fix! Just reports.

dir

Used to see files

Maintenance

Will let you know if your disk isn't defragmenting properly. Will tell you to create home groups.

Action center-

Will tell you if your system is set up right, in win 10 it has a whole new meaning, its not just a control pannel app, in runs on the right side of the screen at all times. It will tell you things you need to be dealing with now, is your system set up properly? Etc. are there actions you need to take?

Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE)

a lean operating system installed on the Windows 7/Vista setup DVD and also on a Windows 7 hard drive that can be used to troubleshoot problems when Windows refuses to start. There are several versions with each os.

Boot errors

are things that pop up before the system starts.

Enable VGA mode

boot up in old VGA mode; 640x480; this is good for when you are having an issue with video card drivers.

Reset your PC

can be dangerous; resets your PC. factory reset

Diskpart

can be ran here to manage partitions. This is used if you are having a scary boot issue with windows.

scannow (system file checker)

cmd. Allows windows to check its DLLS to replace any that are bad. If you still have the problem after this its means you installed an app and it didn't install a DLL; in this care reinstall it. If this doesn't work. Go find a DLL repository, search for the missing DLL online. Search, find forms, etc. sometimes windows will need you to register a DLL, in this case use regsvr32. Type the name of the program+regsvr32+DLL and windows will find it for you. Always make sure to always run malware bytes after downloading new DLLS .

enable boot logging

creates a file called bootlog.txt, this file keeps track of every piece of windows as it loads. It's really handy. It will say load, success, load success for all the individual pieces of windows so you can pinpoint what piece is ****ed.

Startup repair

does a diagnostic, looks for all startup files on your PC from partitions, start up files, BCD store. Does everything it can to get windows working. If you see an error like "cant find OS" this is where you wanna go. From here you can always go back to advanced options and try other things. Main point: Win RE is booted from some sort of media, your installation media or something external. You will always hit "repair your computer" And then you will get alll win RE options

Setup

for the set up of windows, and for windows updates

Disable auto restart on system failure

for when your system is stuck in a blue screen loop and wont load up error message.

Enable low res video

generally 800/600, keeps your video card from over exerting itself.

Enable boot logging

handy if you have a continuous boot process problem; windows will create a log file you can access to figure out what's going on

OS choices menu

if you have multiple versions of OS stored on one system, you can pick it from here.

Startup repair

installs all primary boot files, look for critical system files to reinstall, there is a backup copy the system is taking from the harddrive.

KERNAL panic

is a lockup that throws up a screen that tells you something is wrong, it will give you diagnostic information with fixing it. Most KERNAL panics are caused by something you just did. Caused by hardware changes, research the message

Windows memory diagnostic

is a ram tester, tests ram problems.

Virtualization

is the solution for programs that wont run in your version of windows no matter what.

System

just for the system itself. You will have information which means they tell you something harmless has happened, a warning tells you something bad happened but its fixed. Error we found a problem and we can't fix it. Critical means something bad happened and its really bad, you need to know about it now. Dont panic when you see this shit, all systems deal have this shit. All systems have large amount of logs. Click the logs for more details

Application logs

logs for apps

Security logs

logs for logins log offs etc/

Missing DLL-

means your executable program can't find a dynamic link library. DLLS are subroutines saved on a file. Windows and windows apps rely heavily on DLLS. Windows OS uses DLLS like crazy. If you need this error research it. Malware eats these all the time. If you know for a fact it isn't malware and you know its ligit missing. Run SFC/

Safemode with command prompt

not really that practical, you can just go into safe mode and get to command prompt from there.

Fixmbr

puts a new master boot record into that boot sector, use with caution, needs to be used on systems, that you know for a fact will not have a virus. The virus will rewrite all of your directories.

System image recovery

restores from backup, looks for it on the hard drive or optical media

Command fixboot

rewrites a new boot sector on your partition

Safemode with networking

safe mode with being connected to the internet, typically used to get on the internet to find a driver or something.

Security

security issues, firewall settings, OS updates etc. If you turn the firewall off it will tell you.

Repair your computer

startup repiar option; quick and dirty, see if windows can fix it.

Launch recovery environment (from hitting f10)

the same as throwing in installation media and going to default win RE.

Debugging mode

watch everything load within windows step by step

Safe mode

what you will use most here, when you boot into it, you will boot into the most basic mode. It shuts down almost everything to allow windows to come up. If your computer cant boot up, always try this method first. It will allow you to do system restores and will allow you to access the tools for repairs.

System restore

will recover system restore points

Lists

will show you all of the services that are currently running on the system.

Msiconfig and mark sussionovich- sysintenals.com

will tell you whats auto running that you can turn off. And turning off the stuff you don't need.

Disable automatic restart after failure

windows by default if it has a failure it will do a startup loop, you can stop it from here.

Disable early launch anti malware protection

you can disable auto starting malware from here.

Disable driver signature enforcement

you can disable drivers to be signed here.

Last known good configuration

you can recover based on your configuration at this time, you can only use it if this is your first time with a shitty boot up.

Enable debugging

you run this because some tech or microsoft might need a de bug list for more insight as your what your problem is.