4 Most Common Problems on Windows 7 and Their Solutions

Windows 7 remains to be one of the most popular choices of operating systems for school, office, and home use. Windows 7 is faster than the operating systems that precede it, and it is more efficient in making use of the computer system's resources. It also has a lot of great features that make it more user friendly, and its interface is also appealing and easy to understand.

However, this is not to say that it is perfect. It can also encounter some problems, many of which can be pretty frustrating especially if you've just recently upgraded to Windows 7 and are not yet familiar with the operating system. Luckily, these problems can easily be solved.

My Operating System Seems Slow

Windows7 can use up a lot of your computer's resources because of a number of visual effects. These features may be a bit too heavy for your computer's system memory and graphics card. If this is the case, disabling these features can help speed up your computer's performance.

1. Click on Start. On the search field, type the word "performance" and then click on "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows."

2. Once a Performance Options window appears, go to the Visual Effects tab. Un-tick the option that says "Adjust for best appearance," and select "Adjust for best performance" instead to maximize performance speed.

3. If you wish to retain a nice interface and still have a faster performance, select "Custom" and tick the box that says "Use visual styles on windows and buttons."

Windows Aero Isn't Running

If there seems to be something wrong with the graphics on your computer, say perhaps transparency is off, then the Aero theme isn't running.

1. Click on Start. On the search field, type the word "Aero" and then click on "Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects.

2. An Aero troubleshooting wizard will come up. Click on Next. This will identify the problem and resolve it.

If this isn't what's causing the problem, then Aero may not be enabled in your Windows Registry.

1. Click on Start. On the search field, type "regedit."

2. Once you have launched Regedit, browse to KEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Windows>DWM.

3. Browse through the registry and look for the "EnableAeroPeek" entry. If the value is set to (0) then it means it is disabled. Edit it to change the value to (1) to enable Aero.

DVD Drive Not Found

Several users have reported issues in which their computer can't find their optical drive. In this case, you may have to go to your Windows Registry to edit its value once again.

1. Click on Start. On the search field, type "regedit."

2. Once you have launched Regedit, browse to "HIKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Control>Class".

3. Locate the right-hand panel and delete "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters."

4. Restart your computer to save the changes.

If this doesn't resolve the issue, try this instead.

1. Click on Start. On the search field, type "Disk Management."

2. Select the link that says "Create and format hard disk partitions."

3. The Disk Management window will be launched. Locate the optical drive icon and right-click on it.

4. Click on "Change Drive Letter and Paths" and then click on the "Change" button. Choose a new letter for the drive.

5. Restart your computer to save the changes.

Incompatibility with Older Programs

Before making the switch to Windows 7, you may have been advised already to check on which of the existing programs on your computer are compatible with the operating system and which ones have to be upgraded to a newer version. If you still have some programs that aren't compatible with Windows 7, you can still run them by using Windows 7 Compatibility Mode.

1. Locate the program's installation file. Right-click on it and select Properties.

2. Click on the Compatibility tab, then tick the box that says "Run this program in compatibility mode for:"

3. On the drop-down menu, select the latest version of Windows that runs the program.

4. Re-launch the program.

Missing Windows Explorer Tools

You may find that some of the Explorer tools that you have gotten used to in previous Windows OS version are missing in Windows 7, and some of them are not in the Start Menu. Do not panic because this does not mean that these tools are no longer available in your new operating system. They are simply not showing on your computer, but this can be easily fixed.

1. Click on Start. On the search field, type "Folder Options."

2. Select the Folder Options link on the results and a window will open.

3. Tick the box that says "Show all folders." Click on OK, and all your system folders will immediately reappear.