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Install and Run Windows XP in Windows 7 Using VMware Player

March 16, 2010March 7, 2010 by dennis

Windows XP has been the most famous and most useful operating system to its users till date. Well even if we are have to migrate to Windows 7, we will never forget the ability of Windows XP. There are a lot of programs which were supported by Windows XP but not in the later versions like Windows Vista and Windows 7. Now when we migrate to Windows 7, we will not be able to run such programs.

In order to solve the problem of incompatibility of software and drivers in Windows 7, we have been given the option of installing Virtual Windows XP using Microsoft Virtual PC. But the lone problem in this option is that the processor should support Virtual Machine.

Windowx XP and Windows 7

Here we have given a technique with which you will be able to run Windows XP in Windows 7 without any Virtual XP software or Virtualization Supporting Processor. Moreover you can use your own CD or ISO backup of Windows XP to create the Virtual Machine and no need of downloading the XP Virtual PC from Microsoft.

Requirements:

Windows 7 installed Machine

Minimum 1 GB RAM.

Minimum 4 GB Free Hard Disk Space

Windows XP backup either CD or ISO file

OR

If you have downloaded Microsoft Virtual XP Mode, then refer the instruction at Step 6.

Step 1: Download and Install VMware Player 3.0.1. The download Links are given below.

Size: 90.0 MB

Download VMware Player 3.0.1 from VMware

Download VMware Player 3.0.1 from FileHippo.com

Follow the normal instructions and install. Restart your computer after installation.

Step 2: Now we have to create a new Virtual Machine. Open VMware and click Create a New Virtual Machine as shown below.

Step 3: Select the location from which you are going to create the new Virtual Machine. If you have a CD then select the drive. If you have a back up file in an iso, then you can select the file.

Step 4: Enter the Windows XP key and the user name and password.

Step 5: Then you can set the location to be installed, maximum Disk space size and the RAM size. Follow the instructions normally. Finish the setup. It will continue to install Windows XP in your Virtual Machine.

Optional Note: While installing the Virtual Machine it may ask you to download VMware Tools for Windows 200 or later. It is recommended that you download it or you can download it later also.

After that, the installation process will continue by itself and Windows XP will start.

After successful installation Windows XP will start and you can see the System properties as shown below. 512 MB of RAM is set when installation(you can change the size in VM settings).

Now, you have successfully installed Windows XP virtual PC using VMware player. In order to quit Windows XP you can simply shutdown and quit VMware player.

To start the Windows again in virtual mode, open VMware Player and Select Windows XP in the left pane and Click Play virtual machine.

Let us discuss some of the issues which should be known by the users.

How to Transfer Data to and from Windows XP virtual Mode?

As you are running two different machines drag and drop will not work if you have not installed VMware tools. Even if you can copy directly, it takes more time. You can either use a flash drive or Disc drive to transfer data between Windows 7 and XP virtual mode. But this is not the optimal way. You need to map network drive in Windows 7 which has been shared from Virtual XP.

To enable file and folder sharing in Windows XP virtual Mode, you need to edit the settings. Click on Virtual Machine Settings as shown above to edit the settings.

Select Options and select Shared Folders. Set Always enabled and click OK.

Now you need to share a folder with write permission as shown:

In Windows XP, right click on the folder or drive you want to share and select Share and Security. Do not forget to check Allow network users to change my files.

Now after sharing the folder in Virtual XP, you need to map the folder in Windows 7 as shown below:

Right Click on My Computer and Select Map network drive. Under Network search for the folder you have shared in Virtual XP Machine and click OK.

You can copy or paste anything from or to the network location drive in Windows 7. This is how you can transfer files between Windows 7 and Windows XP virtual mode.

Removable Devices:

Now if you want to use a removable device like a flash drive, you can connect the device using the following setting:

You need to disconnect the device from the host in order to connect to the Virtual machine.

Step 6. Running Microsoft’s Windows XP Virtual PC:

All the above installation is not done using the Microsoft’s Virtual Windows XP PC. Above we used normal Windows XP installation CD. If you have downloaded Virtual XP PC from Download Windows XP Mode then, install it on your PC and then you can open the Virtual Machine from the VMware Player as follows.

Browse for the .vmx file in the folder you have installed the Virtual XP PC and Click Open. You can run it.

Finally, as you have successfully installed Windows XP Virtual PC in Windows 7 using VMware Player 3.0.1 you can enjoy the unbeatable features of Windows XP in Windows 7 also.

Note: No new Partition is created in your hard disk for the Virtual PC. Just a virtual disk file is created in your drive which will increase in size according to what you copy and install in your Virtual PC. The maximum size of this file is the size you have set as maximum disk size.

PS: If any problem occurs or if you are not able to follow the steps and instructions, please leave a comment below.

How to Find Your Location In Windows 7 Using Geosense

March 5, 2010March 5, 2010 by dennis

Geosense is a Windows Sensor that uses the Location and Sensors platform in Windows 7 accurately using IP lookup, WiFi and Cell tower triangulation positioning without the assistance of GPS hardware, enabling more practical location-based applications and scenarios on Windows 7.

Today most of the laptops are not equipped with GPS, so the Windows 7’s new Sensors and Location platform is practically not much useful to the users. But with the help of Geosense, we can use this location sensor platform.

Geosense if free to download and it is available for both 32 and 64 bit editions of Windows 7. Please note that Geosense will work only with Windows 7 editions having Location and Sensor platform. For example this functionality is not available for Windows 7 starter. All other higher editions have this feature.

Follow the instructions below to install and use Geosense For Windows.

Step 1: Download Geosense For Windows from the link below. Select your compatible edition while download.

Click Here to Download Geosense for Windows

Step 2: Install Geosense for Windows. Accept the agreement, and accept to install the device.

Step 3: After successfully installing the sensor, Click on Start button and type geo in the search box. Click on Enable Location and other sensors.

Step 4: Select the enabled Check Box and Apply.

Step 5: Now on the desktop right click, and open Gadgets. Double click on Weather. You can see your location in the Weather gadget as shown.

Once you have added the gadget, you can see the Location in the desktop Weather gadget as shown below. My location shown here in Delhi, India.

But the location sensor displaying only the location in the gadget is not quite impressing. As there in not much of Location aware Windows 7 applications, Geosense has made a Google Maps Client Demo to make use of the sensor in a proper way. Hope that in near future we will be able to use this Windows 7 Location sensing feature in a proper way.

Download Microsoft’s New Windows 7 Theme “Czech Spring”

March 3, 2010March 3, 2010 by bharath

Microsoft which keeps on updating feel good themes for Windows 7, it’s newest Operating system has released yet another series of themes (following Valentine Win 7 theme, Samsung winter games theme) called “Czech Spring”.

Wallpapers Included in Czech Spring:

There are 8 sizzling spring wallpapers (desktop backgrounds) added to this theme pack, I just took screen shots of two of them:

They are beautiful, aren’t they? Just go and grad this theme from the below link :

Download Czech Spring Windows 7 Theme [5.5 MB]

Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera Driver for Windows 7

November 2, 2012February 28, 2010 by dennis

There has been a lot of problem for Acer Laptop users while migrating to Windows 7. But if you see almost all of the drivers inbuilt in Windows 7 can handle the drivers for most of the devices except for devices like the Web Camera.

Today, we have faced the same problem while trying to upgrade the Acer Aspire PC to Windows 7 from XP. While, all of the other drivers will work by default and some of the drivers like the Intel Graphics Accelerator, Ethernet drivers can be seen in the Windows Update list as optional Updates which can be downloaded and installed automatically.

The only problem I faced is with the Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera driver. I have almost tried all of the available drivers but none worked. Most of the forums provided solutions to use the SUYIN NB Cam drive:

C:\\Windows\\SUYIN NB Cam\\LiveCam.exe

This one works but it was not the perfect solution.

Most of the drivers and applications available gives the same error out:

No Acer video capture device was detected on your system

After a lot of trial and error finally i have found the perfect solution for this problem. I have got this Acer Camera Suyin v.5.2.5.3 which is made for Windows 7. After installing this, I restarted the system and it worked against all odds.

Download the Driver from the link below. Install it and restart the system. Once successfully done, start the Acer Crystal Eye webcam. It should work. No other drivers are required.

Download:

File: Acer_Camera_Suyin_v.5.2.5.3_Win7x86x64.zip

Size: 3.29 MB

Link: http://www.techrena.net/downloads/Acer_Camera_Suyin_v.5.2.5.3_Win7x86x64.zip

Screen Shots:

We have tried this driver in Acer Aspire 5570Z and Acer Aspire 4925G and it worked successfully. I hope it will work for other models also. If any problem occurs, do comment.

Featured: Heard of the New Windows 8? You can download the Windows 8 Pro 32 or 64 Bit version from Microsoft and it is completely legit. Check out the details here.

Saving YouTube Videos From Temp File To Your Hard Drive

February 25, 2010February 25, 2010 by bharath

You must be knowing that whenever you open a webpage, the data in the page would be first stored in your computer’s windows internet cache temporary folder and later retrieved from there.This is true in case of YouTube also.

So whenever you open a YouTube video and let it to stream fully, it will be saved in your Windows temp folders as “flaXXX.tmp” file.So now our hack will be using this concept to save YouTube (or any flash content based streaming site for that matter) directly on your hard drive without needing to install any extensions in your browser.

The Process:

1 Step 1: Go to windows temp folder from the following path:

for Windows vista/ Windows 7:

C:\>Users\>User Name\>AppData\>Local\>Temp\

2 Step 2: As said earlier, the temporary flash files would generally be of the format flaXXX.tmp.In my case the required filename is flaDEBD.tmp.This file contains the flash content from YouTube video that you have just allowed to stream fully.

3 Step 3: This is the temp file that we are looking for.If we can copy it to some other location on your PC and rename it as *.flv file, our headache is over, but unfortunately Windows doesn’t allow you to copy a temporary file that is already in use by another application like browser for instance.

The following animated image would reflect the same situation.

Can't copy file

4 Step 4: Luckily we have a free open source program called HoboCopy that makes this copying process easier for us.Download the zip file and place HoboCopy.exe in your C:\ drive (or in any directory from where you can actually run this exe file through command prompt).

5 Step 5: Now open Administrator command prompt (Windows XP users can make type cmd in the run prompt but Windows Vista and Windows 7 users have to run cmd.exe using “Run as administrator” from the menu, you can actually figure out the difference between normal command prompt and Administrator command prompt, the window name starts with the word “Administrator” as you can see from the below screen shots.

6 Step 6: Go to C:\ and type the following commands (assuming that you have placed HoboCopy.exe in your “C” drive).

Pass the target file name that you want to copy like flaXXX.tmp at the end of the command.

C:\>hobocopy C:>Users>User Name>AppData>Local>Temp\ G:>FLV-Video> flaXXX.tmp

Replace “User Name” with your Windows administrator user name and “flaXXX.tmp” with your actual target file. In my case the User Name is “Bharath” and the target filename is flaDEBD.tmp

C:\>hobocopy C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Local\Temp\ G:\FLV-Video\ flaDEBD.tmp

Wait till the file gets copied to your target destination.

7Step 7: Now that your required temporary file copied to another folder, you can change it’s extension from “.tmp” to “.flv” so that it can be opened by any player that supports FLV format files.

Download HoboCopy [Sourceforge.net]

Note:

1.The browser I have used here is Google Chrome, you can also refer to our guide on how to download YouTube videos in Google Chrome using greasemonkey scripts.Also make sure that you don’t use Internet explorer 6 for watching YouTube videos.

2.The above whole process has been done in my system which is running Windows 7.The procedure still remains the same for Windows Vista and Windows XP even though there may be changes in the location of Windows Temporary files.

3.HoboCopy actually intended for backing up entire folder(s).But here we are limiting it to just one file by passing the file name argument at the end of the syntax (flaDEBD.tmp in the above pics).So if you do not pass the file name at the end of the syntax, the entire temp folder gets backed up.

Restore Previous Versions of Files in Windows 7 Using System Restore

February 22, 2010 by dennis

One of the exciting features in Windows 7 is that we can restore deleted files using the Windows System Restore. If you ever delete an important file or a document unintentionally then this feature of Windows 7 is going to help you in every ways.

Windows 7 copies the image of your files everyday or when a restore point creation is triggered. This service is known as the volume shadow copy service. The Previous Version feature is available in all editions of Windows 7.

Windows 7 logo

Now to restore your files or to explore this feature, just follow the easy steps below.

Step 1: Find out the Previous Versions of the files available. In order to do this, right click on the folder where your files are present and select Restore previous versions. All available versions of the folder is shown where the content of the folder will be Yesterday’s or Last week’s and so on.

Step 2: Select which operation you need: Open, Copy or Restore. You can see three buttons Open, Copy, and Restore.

Open: Select the folder on the particular day or date which you want to open and click on Open. It will show you the files present in that folder on that day. You can simply copy the particular file you want.

Copy: Copy lets you copy the whole folder on the particular day to a different location. This will be useful if you do not want to disturb the current files present in the folder. Select the destination of the files to be copied.

Restore: This option will restore the files to the day which you have selected. It will be useful if you want to restore the folder exactly same as on the selected day. This can be used for restoring source files of an installed software which you had changed erroneously.

Now you have learnt how to restore deleted files and folders in Windows 7. I hope it was an easy one.

Note:

1. This feature is available in all versions of Windows 7.

2. If you want to have restore points of the files and folders for longer duration, you have to increase the size of the Disk Usage Space for System Restore in System Restore Properties. Follow:

My Computer—> System properties—>System protection—>Configure…—>Max usage

3. Restore Previous Versions feature will not support for Disk Drives, libraries and external drives(including the folders present in the external drives).

Windows Activation Technologies Update To Detect Pirated Copies Of Windows 7

February 17, 2010February 16, 2010 by dennis

Windows Activation Technologies(WAT) is set to release a new Update for Windows 7 which will detect Pirated Windows 7 copies activated using the different Cracks and Activators available. This update (KB971033) is said to be released today at www.microsoft.com/genuine and from 17th Feb it will be available at Microsoft Download Center.

windows 7 logo

Windows Activation Technologies formerly known as Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) will run this anti-piracy program using this Windows Update. This update will reach Windows 7 Home, Premium,Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise users.

According to the Genuine Windows Blog, this update will be voluntary which means, users can choose whether to install this update or not when it appears in the update list.

After installing this update, it will check for the validity of the certificates and keys in your Windows 7 installation. If found to be non-genuine, the notifications built into Windows 7 will inform the user that Windows is not genuine by displaying dialog boxes with options for the user to either get more information, or acquire genuine Windows. The desktop wallpaper will be switched to a plain desktop.

But this time Microsoft has assured that the customer will see no reduced functionality in their copy of Windows which is fount to be non-genuine. The Update will run periodic validations (initially every 90 days).

Install Windows 7 using Microsoft USB/DVD Download Tool

March 18, 2011February 13, 2010 by dennis

We have already discussed the Installation of Windows 7 from a USB Device without using any external software. The technique we used was easy, but now a days people want automation. Just install a program, let the program handle everything. No headache, no worries. As this is the current trend, we are sharing this fully automated method of making a bootable USB device for installing Windows 7 using the Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool.

But we need to download a software from Microsoft store for this method. In case, if you don’t want to download any software, you can use this technique:

Install Windows 7 or Vista Using Bootable USB Disk Drive

Now to start, check the requirements and then follow the steps below.

Requirements:

1. A USB Drive of minimum 4GB space

2. Windows 7 installation ISO file

Step 1: Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool from the Microsoft store

Link: Click here to download Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Password: techrena.net

Size: 2.6 MB

Step 2: Install the tool in your computer.

Step 3: Connect your USB Flash Drive or Pendrive. Open the program. Click on Browse to select the ISO file.

Step 4: Select the proper Windows 7 ISO file and click Open. Then Click Next.

Step 5: Now Click On USB device. If you want to burn the ISO to a DVD, you can select the DVD mode.

Step 6: Select the correct USB device from the drop down menu. If your Device is not seen in the menu, connect it properly and then press the refresh button which is present right next to the menu. After selection, Click on Begin copying. Note that, this will process format your USB Device. All unsaved data will be lost.

Step 7: Now the tool will make your USB disk drive Bootable and then copy the files to it. After completion of the process, you can use the USB device for installing Windows 7.

Note:

1. To start the installation you need to boot from your USB device. In order to boot from your flash drive, you have to change the boot menu. Many computers have DELETE, F10, F2, F12, ESC keys as Boot menu key (the boot menu key information is usually displayed during Start Up). In the boot menu Select USB Diskette on Key and boot it from the USB.

Now the Windows 7 installation will boot, follow the instructions to install.

2. If you do not have the ISO file or if you have only the DVD or the installation files in your hard drive, then you cannot use this tool, you need to follow the technique given here: Install Windows 7 or Vista Using Bootable USB Disk Drive

3. Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool is a property of Microsoft. It is intended to be used according to the terms and conditions provided by Microsoft Corporation. Techrena is not responsible for any kind of misuse of this product.

Partition Hard Disk Drive in Windows 7 Using Disk Management

February 12, 2010February 12, 2010 by dennis

Creating and partitioning Hard Disk Drives have become very easy in Windows 7 and Vista with its inbuilt Disk Management. We do not need any third party software to create and format Disks in Windows 7. Previously we used to rely on software like Partition Magic etc. but now it has become very easy.

For those who are completely new to partitioning Disk drives, before starting the steps understand the following example:

If you have a drive, say C drive of 200GB and you want to partition it into two more drives, then you need to shrink C drive first. Suppose you have shrunk it to 100GB, then you will have 100GB of unallocated space. Now you can create new drives from the unallocated space, say first one for 60GB drive, and then you can create the second drive for 40GB. Totally you will have three drives now of 100, 60 and 40 GB respectively, after completing the process.

Follow the steps below to shrinking existing drives and creating new partitions in Windows 7.

Step 1: Click Start and type DISK MANAGEMENT in the search box. Click “Create and format hard disk partitions” from the search results.

Step 2: After opening Disk Management successfully, you can see the existing drives in your system. Right click on the drive you want to shrink. Click on Shrink Volume. It may take few seconds to configure the available shrinkable volume.

Step 3: Now type in the amount of space(in MB) you want to shrink. It should be less than or equal to the available shrink space. Then click Shrink.

Step 4: After shrinking the volume, you will find a new volume in the right side labelled as Unallocated Space(the one with BLACK colored label). Right click on it, and select New Simple Volume.

Step 5: Click next in the New Simple Volume Wizard. Then enter the size of the new partition you want to create. It should not exceed the maximum sizes.

Step 6: Select the Drive letter you want to assign, then click next. Now, select the file system. Usually, we use NTFS(more common) or FAT32. Type in the Volume label, then click next to format the partition.

After the formatting is done a new disk drive can be seen. That’s it you have successfully partitioned your hard disk drive. I have created four drives for my computer which is shown below:

Note: This steps will also work in Windows Vista but not in Windows XP.

See Hidden Folders In Windows 7 Via Folder Options

February 8, 2010 by bharath

If you have just upgraded your operating system from Windows XP to the latest Windows 7 version, you might have some troubles getting used to using the options and features in Windows 7.This is where we thought we could help you and hence we are starting a series of ‘Windows 7’ tips articles.These are compiled from the problems that we have faced when we started using this latest OS from Microsoft.

I’m starting with the correct way to see hidden files and folders in Windows 7.The one that we do in Win XP with a couple of clicks if you are used to it.Classical method to enable hidden folders in Windows is to go to “Folder Options” from the “Tools” menu from the top section of the window.The problem with Win 7 is that you don’t find “Tools” menu in the top section.It’s hidden actually as you can spot in the below pic.

Can’t figure it , right?? Well, as I said it’s hidden.To see it, press ALT button.Now you see the hidden menu appearing in the window.Now you can see those “File, Edit, View, Tools, Help” options in the window.

Using ALT button to open menu

Now it’s simple from here on, just go to Tools>> click Folder options, it’ll open Folder options window.

Now Go to “View” tab and check the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option.

Also sometimes you may want to see the hidden protected operating system files in your system, to enable this, uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” option.

That’s it, you have now successfully enabled hidden folders and files to show up in your windows.This process will work unless you have some virus running your system in which case your folder options may be disabled.You can refer to this guide on how to handle such a situation.

More Tips: If you have forgotten your Windows 7 Admin password, read this guide to recover or reset windows 7 password.