3 things that you will need:

1. Windows 7 ISO file
2. Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
3. USB flash drive with at least 4GB capacity

Windows 7 ISO file

There are 2 ways to obtain an ISO file for Windows 7:

1. Rip the Windows 7 DVD into an ISO file
2. Purchase and download a Windows 7 ISO file from Microsoft Store

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool allows you to “burn” the Windows 7 ISO file onto a USB flash drive and makes it bootable.

Do note that Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool requires Microsoft .Net Framework version 2.0 and above to install.

And, if you are running Windows XP, you will need an additional tool, Image Mastering API version 2.0 (IMAPIv2.0).

 You’ve got all you need? Let’s get started…

Browse and select the Windows 7 ISO file you want to “burn” onto the USB flash drive.

Select “USB device” as the media type.

Select the USB flash drive. Remember, it needs to be at least 4GB.

Click “Begin copying” and Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool will do the rest. Sit back, have a cup of coffee, and wait for your bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive to be ready.

If you encounter an “Invalid ISO File” error message like the one below:

Refer to article “Invalid ISO file problem with Microsoft’s Official Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool”.

When this happens, you can say goodbye to all your data.

But, you can minimize the impact of a virus or crash if you prepare ahead of time by backing up your data. When you need your files, applications and operating system, they are there, waiting to be restored.

Windows 7 is equipped with Backup & Restore. I’m not a fan of Windows backup utilities. The backup utilities in previous versions of Windows have been less than spectacular. But, today, we take a look at the Backup & Restore feature in Windows 7. And I have to admit that I kind of like it.

Windows 7 Backup & Restore allows you to do image backup for system protection and file backup for regular data protection. And it’s all very easy and direct.

Launching Backup & Restore

There are a few ways you can launch Windows 7 Backup & Restore. I’m going to list just 3 convenient ways you can do so:

1. Click Start, type backup, and select Backup and Restore.
   
2. Click Start, select Control Panel, click Backup and Restore.
   
   
3. Go to Computer, right-click on C:\, select Properties, click Tools, and click Back up now…
   
   
   

In the Back up or restore your files, click Set up backup.

Choose a backup destination, preferably an external hard drive. Or, click Save on a network if you have access to a network folder. Click Next when done.

Choose what you want to back up. Select Let me choose and click Next.

Choose any other folders that you want to be backed up, if any. Click Next when done.

Change backup schedule, if necessary.

Click OK when you have set the automatic backup schedule. Then click Save settings and run backup.

It is on par with many backup and recovery software out there on the market, and perhaps, the best that Microsoft has come up with. Now, you don’t have to spend a single cent extra to get your computer and data backed up.

So, how to back up emails in Windows Live Mail on Windows 7?

Click on the “Windows” button and enter %userprofile%\appdata\local\microsoft\windows live mail. Copy everything inside the folder to a safe location and you are done!

FAT32 is a file system among others such as NTFS, HFS, ext4 & XFS. A file system dictates how each file is stored and retrieved in a computer system.

FAT32 is an outdated file system designed for Microsoft Windows 2000 and earlier. The main reason why most external storage devices come with FAT32 by default even when NTFS is the predominant file system in virtually all Windows-based computers is probably due to its interoperability with the Mac computers. Until recent years, Mac computers have been unable to read files stored on a NTFS file system, but has maintained its legacy support for FAT32 file system. Therefore, for any users who frequently work on PC and Mac interchangeably will find a FAT32 formatted external storage very handy.

FAT32 has a file size limit of 4GB. In today’s world, files that occupy more than 4GB of disk space is very common especially in graphics and video productions.

Now, you are probably saying that you don’t need to work with a Mac. So how do you solve this problem of not being able to copy a file larger than 4GB onto your external storage?

It’s pretty simple actually. Presumably, you are already using Windows XP, Vista or 7, follow the steps below:

1. Open “My Computer” or “Computer”
2. Right-click on the drive of your external storage
3. Select “Format” from the context menu
4. A “Format” dialog box appears as shown above
5. Select “NTFS” under “File system”
6. Under “Format options”, check “Quick Format” as this will save you from the agony of waiting eternally for your external storage to be formatted, especially if your external storage is of at least 500GB
7. Click “Start”

And, you’re done!

A word of caution though, formatting a disk storage will wipe out whatever files and folders you may have on that storage. So, be sure to back up your files before proceeding!

But don’t worry, enjoying maximum protection with minimum interruptions lies with just a few clicks of the mouse. Now…pay close attention.

This is a screenshot of what your “Advanced Settings” might look like:

Antivirus Advanced Settings

The user should be able to access most settings through that one navigation pane on the left. Now let’s go into the default settings for your typical “full system scan”.

This is a screenshot of what your “Full System Scan” might look like:

Full System Scan Settings

Notice that options like “Scan inside archives” and “All file types” are not selected. The option “Scan inside archives” refers to having your antivirus scan not only your zipped files, but the contents within as well. Leaving it unchecked is like making sure no termites are found on your wooden cabinet’s top, but leaving them free to nest anywhere inside of it!

The “All file types” is pretty self-explanatory but I’ll cover it just in case. Leaving this option unchecked provides hackers the opportunity to implant viruses and Trojans into files that are known to be “un-infectable”. Some people think this may take a longer time. But when you really think about it, this is how long a proper, full antivirus scan SHOULD take!

So with that said, your “Full System Scan” settings page should look like this:

Properly Configured Full System Scan

Let’s move on to the antivirus’ Gate Keeper. The Gate Keeper (also known as resident shield) scans a file upon opening.

A screenshot of the Gate Keeper might look something like this:

Default Settings For Gate Keeper

Notice that the option “Autoheal” is not selected. This is pretty strange because what this is means is that after the virus is detected, it is left alone while you continue working on the file. While we can continue debating on how ridiculous this seems, let us at least select that option first.

So a properly configured Gate Keeper settings page should look like this:

Properly Configured Gate Keeper

Aside from configuring the scanning options, us users have very likely come across an antivirus that constantly bugs us on restarting our computer after an update. This usually comes in the form of a pop-up that “promises” to restart the computer automatically if the user doesn’t respond.

If this is the case for you, try making sure that the option “Complete at next computer restart” is selected, as shown in the following screenshot:

Properly Configured Settings For Updates

And voila! No more unnecessary interruptions during work, play or whatever it is you do with your computer.

Do note that the aforementioned steps do not identify any brand in particular, but the settings are generally similar in most antivirus software. A little exploration here and there should get you on the same page.

Should you have any enquiries, just drop us a comment!

“Housekeeping” to a computer is like cleanliness to a hospital. It can mean the difference between convenience and a living hell. And Check Disk is one tool that will definitely aid you in avoiding that dark place of despair.

Why is Check Disk so important?
Check Disk is a program that checks your files, folders and available free space (collectively known as the file system) on your hard disk for potential errors.

Disk errors are usually caused by activities like frequent transactions involving huge file sizes. For instance, if you constantly install, remove and move large files or programs, running check disk from time to time is recommended.

Allowing room for disk errors to happen can lead to corrupted files, which in turn will lead to system errors or even worse, a system crash! If you ever experience a system crash, you will wish that you ran Check Disk more often.

What does Check Disk do?
Check Disk scans and fixes files, folders and free spaces for errors such as lost clusters, misreported file sizes, and bad sectors, just to name a few.

How to run Check Disk?
1. Go to My Computer (Windows XP) or Computer (Windows Vista and Windows 7)
2. Right-click on the drive that you wish to check, and select Properties
3. Under Tools tab, click “Check now…” button and you should now see the Check Disk dialog box with 2 options as shown below.

Check both boxes for a thorough scan

The first option – “Automatically fix file system errors” – instructs Check Disk to scan and fix errors found in files, folders and any errors associated with misreported file size or free space on the drive.

The second option – Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors – tells Check Disk to look out for bad sectors on the hard drive and try to recover them. Bad sectors are usually caused by hardware, in this case, the hard disk. Sometimes, bad sectors can be recovered. But more often than not, bad sectors are permanent and recovery is impossible. In such cases, Check Disk will try and read whatever information is stored in these bad sectors and relocate them to good working sectors.

For a thorough scan, it is recommended that both options be checked. This will typically take between 45min to 90min, depending on the capacity of the drive and the amount of files and folders on it.

Once you have selected the options, click the Start button to start scanning for errors.

Note: You cannot scan and fix errors on C:\ or any drive that Windows resides on. This is because Windows is currently using the drive and it is locked to protect files and folders from corruption.

In summary

1. Run Check Disk any time you encounter disk errors.
2. Running Check Disk takes up to 90mins. Fixing a system crash takes at least a few hours. It’s your choice.

Related Post: Why Is My Computer So Slow?

And the brilliant piece of technology that made this all possible is none other than Dropbox. With features like online and offline access, bandwidth settings, photo galleries, instant notifications and so on, sharing your files has never been so exciting.

The best part is that all these dynamic features are available on your smartphone! With apps available for iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry, the term universal access just took on a new meaning.

Effortless File Sharing

As life gets busier and busier, Dropbox couldn’t have come at a better time. Users are now able to access their files anywhere! Whether it is a document or a picture or even a movie file, access to these files is granted without installing anything on your computer. However, installing it onto your desktop allows for offline access.

With the ability to choose who can access which folder, users can still enjoy a good degree of privacy without compromising on convenience. For instance, you can create multiple folders for different groups of contacts such as friends, family and colleagues. There is even a photo gallery feature that makes sharing visuals an absolute breeze.

What makes this technology so adoptable is the easy access to various operating systems. So Windows users can still share files with those using Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone and Android. Another simple but crucial feature is Dropbox’s notification system. When online, users are informed immediately when a folder or file is updated, added or removed.

Visit Dropbox for more information on increasing your file sharing efficiency.

One thing I noticed though is that the calendar on my mobile phone, never seems to completely sync with the original Google calendar I view on my computer. Things either get deleted or are left out completely. Naturally, this is no good when it comes to keeping appointments, whether personal or business.

Incomplete schedules can lead to hazards like double-booking and missing out on appointments completely. And the last thing I want to stand a good friend up or even worse, upset a valuable customer! Luckily though, I managed to find a solution to this deceptively small problem.

For those struggling with similar problems, they might want to take note of the steps below. Also note that this should fix the aforementioned issue for good.

1. Go to Settings -> Accounts & Sync
2. Toggle Auto-Sync (if it is checked, uncheck it and vice versa)
3. Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications
4. Press the “Settings” button
5. Select “Filter”
6. Select “All”
7. Scroll all the way down until you see “Calendar Storage”
8. Select “Clear data” in “Calendar Storage”
9. Head back to “Calendar”
10. Android will auto-sync your calendar
11. Everything should now be reflected on your mobile calendar

I hope that this helps some of the frustrated users out there. For more details on similar topics, browse my Facebook page here.

What is Bandwidth Throttling?

Contrary to common beliefs, the internet bandwidth allocated to us is shared, not dedicated. Therefore, our internet speed is greatly affected by traffic volume. The higher the internet traffic volume, the slower our internet speed becomes.

Given the recurring incidents of network congestion from high traffic volume, Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, adopt a strategy known as Bandwidth Throttling, commonly known to the industry as Traffic Shaping. In layman terms, it means taking away some bandwidth from some users and giving it to other users to balance up the internet experience of all users.

Why Bandwidth Throttling?

Imagine, you are browsing through your Facebook while the guy sitting next to you is downloading a huge file of say, 2GB. Without Bandwidth Throttling, the guy sitting next to you will be downloading his file at maximum download speed while you, on the other hand, will experience your web browsing experience pretty much like the ancient 56k dial-up. With Bandwidth Throttling, the guy sitting next to you will be downloading at a slower rate so that your web browsing experience is somewhat unaffected.

How Bandwidth Throttling affects you?

That’s good news, isn’t it? Well, yes, if you are just browsing web pages and nothing else. But what if you are downloading huge files? As far as Bandwidth Throttling is concerned, both Singnet and Starhub throttles bandwidth for users using P2P software such as Bit Torrent.

I wanted to find out my ISP’s policy for Bandwidth Throttling. It wasn’t easy to find out the truth. It took me 4 phone calls and a few more call transfers to be able to talk to the right person.

The ISP that I’m with does indeed throttles bandwidth of users. If user is detected to be using P2P software such as bit torrent, his bandwidth will be throttled to 15KB/s. Another thing to note is that Bandwidth Throttle is also applied to users who download too much, too fast. The exact technical details were not disclosed, but I estimate it to be 1GB worth of download within an hour.

So, all readers, please utilize your internet bandwidth prudently to avoid Bandwidth Throttling.

It is an open secret that consumer electronics industry have come up with this 10,000-hour lifespan concept for their products. Why would they want to do that? In order to keep up with profits, companies need to keep selling their products. But, if the products last very long, then there will be no reason compelling enough to get people to keep buying!

The same concept is applied to the computers industry. If you divide that 10,000 hours into 10 hours a day and 5 days a week of usage, you will get roughly about 4 years worth of usage.

But things have gone far worse than that. Over the years, companies have taken a step further to cut the 10,000 hours by as much as 75%!! The 2,500 hours translate to about 1 year of usage. Looking at the warranty cards for your products, does that ring a bell to you?

Coming back to computer, there are some techies who will use their computers as servers and run them 24/7 whole year round. So, what do you think would be the likely outcome for their computers?

Of course, we all agreed that there’s still warranty for the faulty computer, and that’s what the warranty is for! Here comes the tricky part. Who likes to send their computers to service center? Service centers are usually located in places inconvenience for most people to get there, not to mention the long queues and waiting time.

Now, new models of computers have hit the shelves at very attractive prices. Guess what would most people do? Spend a little more money on a brand new computer that’s much faster and much better and forget about going to service centers to repair their old, slow and faulty computer.

That’s a 1-0 win for the industry players.