How to Resolve Application Errors
Application Problems
Programmers want to write applications that work well, enable you to accomplish a specific task, and be good enough to earn your money. But PCs are complicated and programmers can’t get it right every time with every combination of hardware and software. Application problems show up in several ways. The typical scenario has the application failing to install or uninstall. Operating system version issues can cause compatibility problems. Another typical scenario is where an application tries to access a file and that file is either missing or won’t open. The least common problems come from sloppy or poorly written code that causes the application or the operating system to crash. Finally, corrupted applications can corrupt data too, but Windows has tools for recovering previous versions of files and folders.
Application Installation Problems
Almost all Windows programs come with some form of handy installer. When you insert the disc, Windows knows to look for a text file called autorun.inf that tells it which file to run off the disc, usually setup.exe. If you download the application, you’ll need to double-click it to start the installation. Either way, you run the installer and the program runs. It almost couldn’t be simpler.
A well-behaved program should always make itself easy to uninstall as well. In most cases, you should see an uninstallation option in the program’s Start menu area and in all cases (unless you have an application with a badly configured installer), the application should appear in either the Add/Remove Programs applet or the Programs and Features applet.
Programs that fail to install usually aren’t to blame in and of themselves. In most cases, a problem with Windows prevents them from installing, most notably the lack of some other program that the application needs so it can operate. One of the best examples of this is the popular Microsoft .NET Framework. Programs written to incorporate .NET require the proper version of the framework installed to function. Many such programs attempt to install the .NET framework when you install the program, but this doesn’t always work. If .NET is missing or if the version of .NET you are using is too old (there have been a number of .NET versions since it came out in 2002), you can get some of the most indecipherable errors in the history of Windows applications.
Screenshot below shows one such example in Windows 7 where the VMware vSphere client fails due to the wrong .NET version. Too bad that the bad error message doesn’t give you any clues!
These types of errors or any other application errors invariably require you to go online and do Web searches, using the application name and the error. No matter how bad the error, someone else has already suffered from the same problem. The trick is to find out what they did to get around it.
Problems with Uninstalling
The single biggest problem with uninstalling is that people try to uninstall without administrator privileges. If you try to uninstall and get an error, log back on as an administrator and you should be fine.
Don’t forget you can right-click on most uninstallation menu options on the Programs menu and select Run as administrator to switch to administrator privileges.
Sometimes uninstall registry values for a program get corrupted and you will have error indicating Windows could not found a file to uninstall the program and ask you to supply the missing file you can deal with this kind of error by reinstalling the program which should repair damage registry values, you can also force uninstall a program using Revo Uninstaller program.
Compatibility
Most applications are written with the most recent version of Windows in mind, but as Windows versions change over time, older programs have difficulty running in more recent Windows versions. In some cases, such as the jump from Windows Vista to Windows 7, the changes are generally minor enough to cause few if any compatibility problems. In other cases, say a program written back when Windows 2000 was around, the underpinnings of the OS differ so much that you have to perform certain steps to ensure that the older programs run. Windows XP, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10, provides different forms of compatibility modes to support older applications. Windows XP handles compatibility using the aptly named Compatibility tab in every executable program’s Properties dialog box (right-click on the executable file and click Properties). Select the version of Windows you want Windows XP to emulate, and in many cases that is all you need to do to make that older program work.
XP Compatibility tab
You can also set other settings on the Compatibility tab, such as the following located under Display settings:
• Run in 256 colors -- Many old Windows programs were designed to run in 256 colors. Later versions of Windows that support more colors can confuse these older programs.
• Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution -- A few (badly written) older programs assume the screen to be at 640 x 480 resolution. This setting enables them to work.
• Disable visual themes -- Windows themes change a program window’s title bar, fonts, and menus, which might make problems for some programs.
Windows Vista and later versions of Windows add some important improvements to the Compatibility tab. Both add more recent OS options to the Compatibility mode drop-down menu.
The newer Compatibility tab also adds some new options to help older programs run:
Windows 10 Compatibility tab.
• Disable desktop composition -- Disables all display features such as Aero. More advanced Windows display features often bog down older programs.
• Disable display scaling on high DPI settings -- Turns off automatic resizing of a program’s windows if you’re using any high DPI (dots per inch) font. This was added because many programs with large fonts would look bizarre if resized.
• Run this program as an administrator -- As stated, enables you to run the program as an administrator. If this option isn’t available, log on as an administrator to see it.
• Change settings for all users -- Clicking this button applies compatibility changes made to a program to every user account on the machine. Otherwise, the settings are only for the current user.
The secret to using compatibility mode isn’t much of a secret at all if the program doesn’t run, try a compatibly mode. If you want to be really careful, do a Web search on your application before you try to run it. Compatibility mode is a handy tool to get older applications running.
Missing File or Incorrect File Version
An application may rely on other files, in particular DLL files. Sometimes the application installer will bring specially formatted versions of common DLL or other files to Windows, overwriting the previous versions. Later applications might look for the earlier version of the DLL and fail when it’s not found. You’ll experience this sort of scenario with error messages such as “missing DLL” or “cannot open file xyz.” The usual fix for either issue is to perform an Internet search for the missing DLL or file that fails to open, along with the name of the program you’re trying to use.
Crashing Programs
Occasionally, a program gets released that isn’t ready for prime time and the error-prone code causes the application to crash or even causes the operating system to crash. I’ve seen this most often with games rushed to market near the winter holidays. Poorly written or buggy programs can have awful effects. Some of the scenarios caused by such programs are the computer locking up or unexpectedly shutting down. The system might spontaneously shut down and restart. That kind of improper shutdown can cause problems, especially to open files and folders. The problem here is that all this crashing can be caused by hardware and driver problems, not just application problems. You’ve got to keep in mind all of these things as you approach troubleshooting a crash.
Here’s a typical scenario where you need to troubleshoot broadly first. If you’re playing a graphically intensive game that happens to be huge and takes up a lot of RAM, what could the problem be if the screen locks up and Windows locks up too? It could be that the program ran a routine that clashed with some other application or used a Windows feature improperly. It could be that the video card was marginal and failed when taxed too much. It could be that the system accessed a section of RAM that had gone bad.
In that same scenario, though, where the game runs but degrades the overall performance of Windows, what could cause that problem? That points more squarely at the application side of things rather than the hardware or drivers, especially if the computer successfully runs other programs. The bottom line with crash issues is to keep an open mind and not rule out anything without testing it first.
Volume Shadow Copy Service and System Protection
One of the big headaches to a failure with an application isn’t so much the application itself but any data it may have corrupted. Sure, a good backup or a restore point might save you, but these can be a hassle. Unless the data was specifically saved (in the backup), there’s a chance you don’t have a backup in the first place. Microsoft came to your rescue in Windows Vista (Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise only) and Windows 7 (all editions) with a feature called System Protection. This amazing feature is powered by Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), a feature introduced in Windows XP and used by ntbackup. VSS enables the operating system to make backups of any file, even one that is in use. In Windows Vista and 7, VSS is also used by System Protection, enabling you to access previous versions of any data file or folder. Try right-clicking on any data file and selecting Restore previous versions, which opens the file’s Properties dialog box with the Previous Versions tab displayed.
If any of the following criteria are met, you will have at least one previous version in the list:
• The file or folder was backed up using the backup program.
• You created a restore point.
• The file or folder was changed. You must make sure System Protection is enabled as well. Go to the System Protection tab in the System Properties dialog box to see if the feature is enabled (it should be running by default).
The System Protection tab also enables you to load a restore point and to create restore points manually, very handy features.
In Windows Vista and Windows 7 there was a "Previous Versions" tab on the properties dialog of folders. This could be used to recover a previous version of a file that has since been deleted or changed. This can be an invaluable feature but Microsoft replaced it with the "File History" feature in Windows 8, 8.1, and Windows 10. While File History is good, it doesn't have all the features that Previous Versions did.
Alternatively, you can use a third party tool called Shadow Explorer.
Be sure to get the latest version. Install Shadow Explorer and run it, it will look like the below image. First select the drive you want to recover a file from the drop down list next to the File menu. Then select the date of the copy you want to recover the file from. After that, you browse to where the file is located. Then you right click the file and select Export. Choose where to recover the file to and click OK. Your previous version should now be restored.
System Files
Windows lives on dynamic link library (DLL) files. Almost every program used by Windows—and certainly all of the important ones call on DLL files to do most of the heavy lifting that makes Windows work. Windows protects all of the critical DLL files very carefully, but once in a while you may get an error saying Windows can’t load a particular DLL. Although rare, the core system files that make up Windows itself may become corrupted, preventing Windows from starting properly. You usually see something like “Error loading XXXX.DLL,” or sometimes a program you need simply won’t start when you double click its icon. In these cases, the tool you need is the System File Checker (Sfc.exe) that you can execute from Command Prompt.
Open the Command Prompt by clicking Start Menu --> All Programs --> Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt, and open it as an administrator. In Windows Vista and later versions of Window operating systems type cmd.exe into Start Screen or Start Menu, right-click on Cmd.exe, and open it as an administrator.
Type Sfc /Scannow command and press Enter key.
Above command will scan Windows system files for corruption and replace any file that’s is corrupted from a cached copy located in a compressed folder at "%WinDir%\System32\dllcache".
You can also run System File Checker (Sfc.exe) command from Command Prompt at Windows Recovery Environment.
Type Sfc /Scannow /OffBootDir=D:\ /OffWinDir=D:\Windows command and press Enter key.
Replace the D: drive letter with the partition drive letter where Windows installed.
Please replace partition letter D: with Windows installed partition letter. When computer boots into Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) environment the drive letter assign to Windows partition may not be C: drive letter because Windows 7, 8 , 8.1 and 10 creates a separate system partition when it's installed from scratch. The system partition contains boot files WinRE assigns the system partition the C: drive letter and the Windows installed partition will be assign any other drive letter usually D: drive letter is assign to Windows installed partition. The Bcdedit /enum | find "osdevice" command can be use to find out the drive letter of the Windows installed partition the output of the Bcdedit command is similar to this osdevice partition=D:. The drive letter after partition= is the drive letter of the Windows partition.
You can use Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management (DISM) tool to fix Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 Component Store corruption when a sfc /scannow command is unable to repair corrupted or modified system files because the component store (source) is corrupted.
1. Open the Command Prompt by typing cmd.exe into Start Screen or Start Menu, right-click on Cmd.exe, and open it as an administrator.
2. Type the following command, and then press Enter.
SFC command should be able to repair the files afterwards.
Replace the X: placeholder with the drive letter of the install.wim image file stored location.
DISM creates a log files (%windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log and %windir%/Logs\dism.log) that captures any issues that the tool found or fixed. %windir% is the folder in which Windows is installed. For example, the %windir% folder is C:\Windows.
How to Resolve the Source Files Could Not Be Downloaded Dism Tool Error
Using the Internet to Find Solutions to Problems
You’re never alone as long as you have an Internet connection. Whatever problem you face with your computer, you’re almost certainly not the first person to encounter it . A great many websites exist to help with computer problems, and technical experts can be very generous about sharing solutions to problems they’ve encountered.
The major search engines are extremely good at recognizing search queries and providing relevant results. Searching for network driver for dell laptop, for instance, brings up a whole page of results, all offering appropriate drivers to download .
Putting text into double inverted commas (as in “text”) is a useful way to make certain that the search engine treats the text inside the quotes as a string and not as separate words .
Use plus (+) signs before specific terms to ensure that they appear in the search results . For example, the search phrase [c]+”win32 .Gattman .A” +”windows 7” +remove provides[/c] only results that include the terms win32.Gattman .A and Windows 7 and remove .
Of course, you first need to know what to search for when trying to find a solution to a problem. Try to pick up clues from the information provided by anti-virus or anti-malware software, the Windows event log, or a Windows or other software error message. If you notice a code or the name of a program, virus, or service, write it down right away. You can copy the error message text from popup dialog box by clicking the error message dialog box and press CTRL + C keys to copy the content of the error message dialog box.
Try not to use irrelevant words in your search terms, keep things short and to the point. If your search item includes characters like periods or forward slashes (common in virus names), enclose the term in quotes, for example “Win32 .Gattman .A”.
Cool Google Tricks To Improve Your Searches
Programmers want to write applications that work well, enable you to accomplish a specific task, and be good enough to earn your money. But PCs are complicated and programmers can’t get it right every time with every combination of hardware and software. Application problems show up in several ways. The typical scenario has the application failing to install or uninstall. Operating system version issues can cause compatibility problems. Another typical scenario is where an application tries to access a file and that file is either missing or won’t open. The least common problems come from sloppy or poorly written code that causes the application or the operating system to crash. Finally, corrupted applications can corrupt data too, but Windows has tools for recovering previous versions of files and folders.
Application Installation Problems
Almost all Windows programs come with some form of handy installer. When you insert the disc, Windows knows to look for a text file called autorun.inf that tells it which file to run off the disc, usually setup.exe. If you download the application, you’ll need to double-click it to start the installation. Either way, you run the installer and the program runs. It almost couldn’t be simpler.
A well-behaved program should always make itself easy to uninstall as well. In most cases, you should see an uninstallation option in the program’s Start menu area and in all cases (unless you have an application with a badly configured installer), the application should appear in either the Add/Remove Programs applet or the Programs and Features applet.
Note
Remember that you need local administrator privileges to install applications in all versions of Windows.
Programs that fail to install usually aren’t to blame in and of themselves. In most cases, a problem with Windows prevents them from installing, most notably the lack of some other program that the application needs so it can operate. One of the best examples of this is the popular Microsoft .NET Framework. Programs written to incorporate .NET require the proper version of the framework installed to function. Many such programs attempt to install the .NET framework when you install the program, but this doesn’t always work. If .NET is missing or if the version of .NET you are using is too old (there have been a number of .NET versions since it came out in 2002), you can get some of the most indecipherable errors in the history of Windows applications.
Screenshot below shows one such example in Windows 7 where the VMware vSphere client fails due to the wrong .NET version. Too bad that the bad error message doesn’t give you any clues!
These types of errors or any other application errors invariably require you to go online and do Web searches, using the application name and the error. No matter how bad the error, someone else has already suffered from the same problem. The trick is to find out what they did to get around it.
Problems with Uninstalling
The single biggest problem with uninstalling is that people try to uninstall without administrator privileges. If you try to uninstall and get an error, log back on as an administrator and you should be fine.
Don’t forget you can right-click on most uninstallation menu options on the Programs menu and select Run as administrator to switch to administrator privileges.
Sometimes uninstall registry values for a program get corrupted and you will have error indicating Windows could not found a file to uninstall the program and ask you to supply the missing file you can deal with this kind of error by reinstalling the program which should repair damage registry values, you can also force uninstall a program using Revo Uninstaller program.
Compatibility
Most applications are written with the most recent version of Windows in mind, but as Windows versions change over time, older programs have difficulty running in more recent Windows versions. In some cases, such as the jump from Windows Vista to Windows 7, the changes are generally minor enough to cause few if any compatibility problems. In other cases, say a program written back when Windows 2000 was around, the underpinnings of the OS differ so much that you have to perform certain steps to ensure that the older programs run. Windows XP, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10, provides different forms of compatibility modes to support older applications. Windows XP handles compatibility using the aptly named Compatibility tab in every executable program’s Properties dialog box (right-click on the executable file and click Properties). Select the version of Windows you want Windows XP to emulate, and in many cases that is all you need to do to make that older program work.
XP Compatibility tab
You can also set other settings on the Compatibility tab, such as the following located under Display settings:
• Run in 256 colors -- Many old Windows programs were designed to run in 256 colors. Later versions of Windows that support more colors can confuse these older programs.
• Run in 640 x 480 screen resolution -- A few (badly written) older programs assume the screen to be at 640 x 480 resolution. This setting enables them to work.
• Disable visual themes -- Windows themes change a program window’s title bar, fonts, and menus, which might make problems for some programs.
Windows Vista and later versions of Windows add some important improvements to the Compatibility tab. Both add more recent OS options to the Compatibility mode drop-down menu.
The newer Compatibility tab also adds some new options to help older programs run:
Windows 10 Compatibility tab.
• Disable desktop composition -- Disables all display features such as Aero. More advanced Windows display features often bog down older programs.
• Disable display scaling on high DPI settings -- Turns off automatic resizing of a program’s windows if you’re using any high DPI (dots per inch) font. This was added because many programs with large fonts would look bizarre if resized.
• Run this program as an administrator -- As stated, enables you to run the program as an administrator. If this option isn’t available, log on as an administrator to see it.
• Change settings for all users -- Clicking this button applies compatibility changes made to a program to every user account on the machine. Otherwise, the settings are only for the current user.
The secret to using compatibility mode isn’t much of a secret at all if the program doesn’t run, try a compatibly mode. If you want to be really careful, do a Web search on your application before you try to run it. Compatibility mode is a handy tool to get older applications running.
Missing File or Incorrect File Version
An application may rely on other files, in particular DLL files. Sometimes the application installer will bring specially formatted versions of common DLL or other files to Windows, overwriting the previous versions. Later applications might look for the earlier version of the DLL and fail when it’s not found. You’ll experience this sort of scenario with error messages such as “missing DLL” or “cannot open file xyz.” The usual fix for either issue is to perform an Internet search for the missing DLL or file that fails to open, along with the name of the program you’re trying to use.
Warning
Do not install any DLL file from unknown not trusted source as it may be malware your installing instead of legit DLL file!
Crashing Programs
Occasionally, a program gets released that isn’t ready for prime time and the error-prone code causes the application to crash or even causes the operating system to crash. I’ve seen this most often with games rushed to market near the winter holidays. Poorly written or buggy programs can have awful effects. Some of the scenarios caused by such programs are the computer locking up or unexpectedly shutting down. The system might spontaneously shut down and restart. That kind of improper shutdown can cause problems, especially to open files and folders. The problem here is that all this crashing can be caused by hardware and driver problems, not just application problems. You’ve got to keep in mind all of these things as you approach troubleshooting a crash.
Here’s a typical scenario where you need to troubleshoot broadly first. If you’re playing a graphically intensive game that happens to be huge and takes up a lot of RAM, what could the problem be if the screen locks up and Windows locks up too? It could be that the program ran a routine that clashed with some other application or used a Windows feature improperly. It could be that the video card was marginal and failed when taxed too much. It could be that the system accessed a section of RAM that had gone bad.
In that same scenario, though, where the game runs but degrades the overall performance of Windows, what could cause that problem? That points more squarely at the application side of things rather than the hardware or drivers, especially if the computer successfully runs other programs. The bottom line with crash issues is to keep an open mind and not rule out anything without testing it first.
Note
A general protection fault (GPF) occurs when a program tries to do something not permitted, like writing to protected memory or something else Windows doesn’t like. This can cause an error message to appear or can even crash the computer. You are very unlikely to encounter a GPF today.
Volume Shadow Copy Service and System Protection
One of the big headaches to a failure with an application isn’t so much the application itself but any data it may have corrupted. Sure, a good backup or a restore point might save you, but these can be a hassle. Unless the data was specifically saved (in the backup), there’s a chance you don’t have a backup in the first place. Microsoft came to your rescue in Windows Vista (Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise only) and Windows 7 (all editions) with a feature called System Protection. This amazing feature is powered by Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), a feature introduced in Windows XP and used by ntbackup. VSS enables the operating system to make backups of any file, even one that is in use. In Windows Vista and 7, VSS is also used by System Protection, enabling you to access previous versions of any data file or folder. Try right-clicking on any data file and selecting Restore previous versions, which opens the file’s Properties dialog box with the Previous Versions tab displayed.
If any of the following criteria are met, you will have at least one previous version in the list:
• The file or folder was backed up using the backup program.
• You created a restore point.
• The file or folder was changed. You must make sure System Protection is enabled as well. Go to the System Protection tab in the System Properties dialog box to see if the feature is enabled (it should be running by default).
Note
Keep in mind that System Protection doesn’t have to be only for recovery of corrupted data files caused by bad applications. It’s also a great tool to recover previous versions of files that users accidentally overwrite.
The System Protection tab also enables you to load a restore point and to create restore points manually, very handy features.
In Windows Vista and Windows 7 there was a "Previous Versions" tab on the properties dialog of folders. This could be used to recover a previous version of a file that has since been deleted or changed. This can be an invaluable feature but Microsoft replaced it with the "File History" feature in Windows 8, 8.1, and Windows 10. While File History is good, it doesn't have all the features that Previous Versions did.
Alternatively, you can use a third party tool called Shadow Explorer.
Be sure to get the latest version. Install Shadow Explorer and run it, it will look like the below image. First select the drive you want to recover a file from the drop down list next to the File menu. Then select the date of the copy you want to recover the file from. After that, you browse to where the file is located. Then you right click the file and select Export. Choose where to recover the file to and click OK. Your previous version should now be restored.
System Files
Windows lives on dynamic link library (DLL) files. Almost every program used by Windows—and certainly all of the important ones call on DLL files to do most of the heavy lifting that makes Windows work. Windows protects all of the critical DLL files very carefully, but once in a while you may get an error saying Windows can’t load a particular DLL. Although rare, the core system files that make up Windows itself may become corrupted, preventing Windows from starting properly. You usually see something like “Error loading XXXX.DLL,” or sometimes a program you need simply won’t start when you double click its icon. In these cases, the tool you need is the System File Checker (Sfc.exe) that you can execute from Command Prompt.
Note
Newly installed DLL's must be entered into the Registry via a process cleverly called registration. In most cases DLL's will register themselves, but on rare occasions you might need to manually register a DLL using the command-line tool Regsvr32.
Open the Command Prompt by clicking Start Menu --> All Programs --> Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt, and open it as an administrator. In Windows Vista and later versions of Window operating systems type cmd.exe into Start Screen or Start Menu, right-click on Cmd.exe, and open it as an administrator.
Type Sfc /Scannow command and press Enter key.
Above command will scan Windows system files for corruption and replace any file that’s is corrupted from a cached copy located in a compressed folder at "%WinDir%\System32\dllcache".
Information
Microsoft replaced the DLLCACHE folder that existed in Windows XP and Windows 2000 with C:\Windows\winsxs this folder is used to store backup DLL files and other system files.
You can also run System File Checker (Sfc.exe) command from Command Prompt at Windows Recovery Environment.
Type Sfc /Scannow /OffBootDir=D:\ /OffWinDir=D:\Windows command and press Enter key.
Replace the D: drive letter with the partition drive letter where Windows installed.
Please replace partition letter D: with Windows installed partition letter. When computer boots into Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) environment the drive letter assign to Windows partition may not be C: drive letter because Windows 7, 8 , 8.1 and 10 creates a separate system partition when it's installed from scratch. The system partition contains boot files WinRE assigns the system partition the C: drive letter and the Windows installed partition will be assign any other drive letter usually D: drive letter is assign to Windows installed partition. The Bcdedit /enum | find "osdevice" command can be use to find out the drive letter of the Windows installed partition the output of the Bcdedit command is similar to this osdevice partition=D:. The drive letter after partition= is the drive letter of the Windows partition.
You can use Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management (DISM) tool to fix Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 Component Store corruption when a sfc /scannow command is unable to repair corrupted or modified system files because the component store (source) is corrupted.
1. Open the Command Prompt by typing cmd.exe into Start Screen or Start Menu, right-click on Cmd.exe, and open it as an administrator.
2. Type the following command, and then press Enter.
Code:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-image /RestorehealthSFC command should be able to repair the files afterwards.
Important
When you run this command, DISM uses Windows Update to provide the files that are required to fix corruptions. However, if your Windows Update client is already broken, use a running Windows installation as the repair source, or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share or from a removable media, such as the Windows DVD, as the source of the files. To do this, run the following command instead:
Code:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:WIM:X:\Sources\Install.wim:1 /LimitAccessReplace the X: placeholder with the drive letter of the install.wim image file stored location.
DISM creates a log files (%windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log and %windir%/Logs\dism.log) that captures any issues that the tool found or fixed. %windir% is the folder in which Windows is installed. For example, the %windir% folder is C:\Windows.
How to Resolve the Source Files Could Not Be Downloaded Dism Tool Error
Using the Internet to Find Solutions to Problems
You’re never alone as long as you have an Internet connection. Whatever problem you face with your computer, you’re almost certainly not the first person to encounter it . A great many websites exist to help with computer problems, and technical experts can be very generous about sharing solutions to problems they’ve encountered.
The major search engines are extremely good at recognizing search queries and providing relevant results. Searching for network driver for dell laptop, for instance, brings up a whole page of results, all offering appropriate drivers to download .
Important
Make sure to only install device drivers that you obtained from website of either device manufacturer or computer manufacturer
Putting text into double inverted commas (as in “text”) is a useful way to make certain that the search engine treats the text inside the quotes as a string and not as separate words .
Use plus (+) signs before specific terms to ensure that they appear in the search results . For example, the search phrase [c]+”win32 .Gattman .A” +”windows 7” +remove provides[/c] only results that include the terms win32.Gattman .A and Windows 7 and remove .
Of course, you first need to know what to search for when trying to find a solution to a problem. Try to pick up clues from the information provided by anti-virus or anti-malware software, the Windows event log, or a Windows or other software error message. If you notice a code or the name of a program, virus, or service, write it down right away. You can copy the error message text from popup dialog box by clicking the error message dialog box and press CTRL + C keys to copy the content of the error message dialog box.
Try not to use irrelevant words in your search terms, keep things short and to the point. If your search item includes characters like periods or forward slashes (common in virus names), enclose the term in quotes, for example “Win32 .Gattman .A”.
Cool Google Tricks To Improve Your Searches