win7 posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, How-Tos

How to fix a Windows 7 upgrade from Vista that is stuck at 62%

by Lee Mathews Nov 2nd 2009

A number of message boards around the net have been receiving comments from users upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 who have been unable to complete the upgrade install.

Once the installer hits 62% complete, it locks up. You can sit and wait as long as you want, but it's not going anywhere.

The problem occurs when the Windows IPv6 helper service (which allows automatic IPv6 connectivity over a much more common IPv4 network) stops responding . Microsoft has posted a fix to this particular problem, and it's not terribly complicated.

Restart the computer - your system will automatically roll back to Windows Vista.
Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
System Properties will open. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Environment Variables.
Click the New button.
Enter MIG_UPGRADE_IGNORE_PLUGINS into the Variable name field.
Copy the following bold text: iphlpsvcmigplugin.dll and paste it into the Variable value field (or type it manually)
Click OK three times to close the dialog boxes.
Re-launch your Windows 7 Upgrade installer!

Please note that this fix won't help if your install is stuck at some percentage other than 62. Strange but true. This is a specific fix for a very specific issue.

You may also want to run the System Readiness Tool for Vista and Windows 7 before trying the upgrade again. It can detect and correct certain issues that may cause trouble during the process.

Tags: error, failed, frozen, stuck, vista, win7, windows 7 upgrade, windows-7, Windows7Upgrade

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Windows x64

The Downloadsquad Windows 7 rundown

by Lee Mathews Jan 10th 2009

Friday, January 9th 2009 was an intense day on the web, and with good reason. It was the day Microsoft had chosen to release Windows 7 for public beta testing, and the public was all over it.

With no specific time given for working downloads, eager testers began hammering MS web servers at the crack of dawn and worked them like a rented mule. Later on, direct links to the ISO files surfaced, and people were off and downloading.

We've covered Windows 7 quite a bit before - here's what else you can find on Downloadsquad:

For even more articles, have a look at our Windows 7 tag page.

Tags: win7, windows-7

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Windows x64

Direct download links for Windows 7 beta iso surface!

by Lee Mathews Jan 9th 2009

While the Microsoft servers continue to struggle with the massive amount of traffic, there might just be a solution for you: direct download links for both the 32 and 64 bit ISO images.

Windows 7 Beta (x86) : 7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULFRE_EN_DVD.ISO

Windows 7 Beta (x64) : 7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO

See if you have luck with the direct links. Currently it's working for me, and fairly fast as well - about 340kb/s.

You'll still need to go back for a key, assuming you want to use the beta for more than 30 days, but at least you'll be able to burn a DVD or mount the ISO in your favorite virtualization app. Alternatively, there are plenty of timer reset and watermark removal tools available on the various torrent trackers.

[ via Sizzled Core ]

Tags: win7, windows-7

Filed under: Internet, Photo, Features, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Search

A look at 7 Windows 7 federated search connectors

by Lee Mathews Dec 30th 2008

Now that half of the known computing world has gotten their paws on the Windows 7 beta, it's high time to start tweaking and modifying Microsoft's latest OS. One feature begging to be monkeyed with is Windows Search.

Windows 7 supports a new feature called Federated Search. It's based on OpenSearch and RSS2 and enables searching of remote repositories from the Windows desktop. Microsoft embracing Open initiatives? Might there be some less-than-altruistic motivation behind this?

Better desktop searching may mean less browser-based searching, which might allow Microsoft to gain a little ground on Google. Still, the ease of creating connectors and the number of possibilties add some serious cool factor to Windows 7. They're a bit hard to find as of yet, but the popularity of the Windows 7 Beta torrent will no doubt lead to some new ones being created in the coming weeks.

The first one I encountered when running build 6801 was Long Zheng's Flickr Connectr. Though it's a man-in-the-middle solution and slightly slow at times it works well, and you can see it in action in the screen capture above. Image results can be displayed just like other files on your desktop - in list or details view, as thumbnails, or using Windows 7's content view.

Windows 7 Forums has several useful connectors for download, including YouTube, Yahoo, Live Search, Google News, and Google Blogs.

Brandon Paddock of Brandonlive.com has created a connector for DeviantArt. I wasn't able to find the download link on his blog, but you can still download it directly.

Want to see the connectors in action? Read on, and check out the gallery!

Tags: search, win7, windows-7

Filed under: OS Updates, Microsoft, Beta

Windows 7 beta ISO the hottest download on the net?

by Lee Mathews Dec 29th 2008

Since its initial leak a few days ago, the torrents for Windows 7 build 7000 have become more numerous - and extremely healthy.

Pirate Bay's now has more than 5,500 seeders and more than twice that number leeching. Mininova's top two torrents have almost 6,000 seeders and 17,000 leechers.

While they're likely a little concerned with how quickly the leaked image appeared on the net, Microsoft has to be pleased about the buzz generated so far.

I can almost picture Steve Ballmer rubbing his hands together and muttering "Exxxxxxxxcellent."

After running it for a few days, I've noticed a few "beta" issues. The most bothersome so far are incompatibility and instability issues with certain applications - for example Skype and (quite surprisingly) Microsoft's own Office 2007.

Sure, this is still a beta, but you'd think that running a key business application like Office is something that would be trouble-free by this point. Paul Thurrott has also noted issues with Office on his blog.

Check out this gallery of Windows 7 hands-on:

Gallery: Windows 7 Hands On

And the Windows 7 PC Safeguard:

Gallery: Windows 7 PC Safeguard

Tags: torrent, win7, windows-7

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows 7 Beta to ship in early January

by Lee Mathews Dec 23rd 2008

A number of sources were reporting a mysterious Windows 7 Beta download link that appeared on Microsoft's Windows 7 page. Of course, it would be fairly easy to screenshot a page, make a few edits, and post the doctored image as "proof," so I took the news with a grain of salt.

Now there's slightly more trustworthy evidence. The Microsoft Action Pack Subscription page, which Rafael Rivera of Within Windows captured, apparently had a similar link posted (which is now absent).

CES is also on the way, and Steve Ballmer is set to deliver his keynote speech on January 7th. It only makes sense for Windows 7 to be the star of the show, and CNET's Ed Bott is certain that the Beta will be made available shortly after Ballmer's demo.

Of course, builds 6801 and 6956 are all over the major torrent trackers, so it's safe to say you can easily get your hands on them there if you'd rather not wait.

[ via Within Windows ]

Tags: beta, win7, windows-7

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows 7's Superbar in action - is it made for multitouch?

by Lee Mathews Nov 4th 2008

As Adam reported earlier, the Superbar has been unlocked in Windows 7. Apart from adding even more visual pop to the improved Desktop Window Manager, it adds some long-absent functionality.

Apart from better visual task tips with smooth transition effects, it's fixed another minor annoyance. At last you can click and drag taskbar buttons to re-order them. I've always been a little irritated by the fact that I couldn't do that in previous Windows versions, and was glad to see the change.

Grouped application windows will preview as pictured: hover the button, and the thumbnails expand into view. Hover a thumbnail and the red x appears, allowing you to close (duh) the program.

Tags: superbar, taskbar, win7, windows 7, Windows7

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

That took long enough: Windows 7 can burn ISO files

by Lee Mathews Nov 3rd 2008

It obviously hasn't been a priority for Microsoft in the past, but it looks like another one of Windows' minor shortcomings has finally been addressed.

Yes, at long last your Microsoft OS will know what to do with an ISO file. While I'm sure none of us are going to forsake our favorite burning applications when and if we do switch to Windows 7, it's nice to see simple, useful features like this being implemented.

The process is so simple, even novice users will be able to burn an image with no trouble. Double-click an ISO, and Windows 7 opens a minimalistic dialog: choose a burner, select whether or not to verify your burn, and burn/cancel.

It works nicely, and it's definitely the kind of simple, functional addition that is making my test drive of Windows 7 an enjoyable one. Look for more Windows 7 updates as we get more time to ~~play~~ work with it!

Tags: burning, iso, win7, windows 7, Windows7

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win7 posts

How to fix a Windows 7 upgrade from Vista that is stuck at 62%

The Downloadsquad Windows 7 rundown

Direct download links for Windows 7 beta iso surface!

A look at 7 Windows 7 federated search connectors