I thought I would share a few tips I came across from win7news.net that could help solve some specific computer problems. Provided for informational purposes only, of course.

For starters, if you are using Windows 7 and can not get the Windows Firewall to load on start-up, Microsoft has released a web-based diagnostic tool that's designed to automatically repair various problems with the Windows Firewall.

It scans your computer to detect what's wrong and then fixes the problems. If the problem isn't fixed, you will be pointed toward additional resources. It's easy to use, just go to the web site and click the "Run now" button. You'll find it at
http://www.win7news.net/100825-msfirewalldiag

Hard drives are getting larger and larger. If you have an extra large capacity hard drive (over 2 terabytes) on your Windows 7 computer; you need to know about a serious problem that has surfaced, which could cause you to lose all the data on such drives.

A particular series of events has to take place, so it won't affect many users, but for those who are affected, it could be a disaster. You can read more details and find the link to the hotfix download here:
http://www.win7news.net/100825-ghacks

Here is something everyone should do. Windows 7 is a stable OS but even the most stable operating system can crash due to disruptive application, malware, a hardware glitch or for dozens of other reasons.

Sometimes you aren't able to boot back into Windows to fix the problem. That's where a repair/recovery disc comes in handy, but many new computers today don't come with one. Luckily, it's easy to make one. Here's how:

  1. Click Start | Control Panel
  2. In the default view, click System and Security, then Backup and Restore. In the classic view, just click Backup and Restore
  3. In the left pane of the Backup and Restore interface, click "Create a system repair disc."
  4. In the dialog box that appears, select the CD/DVD drive you want to use and insert a blank disc in it.
  5. Click the "Create disc" button.

It may take a few minutes for Windows to check the validity of the media and write the disc, so be patient. When it's done, keep it in a safe place. You'll be able to use it to boot into the system and make repairs in case of future problems.

Win 7 News is a great source of information. You can sign up to receive their free newsletter at http://win7news.net.

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