How to Solve the Boot Camp Disk Error
Press Any Key To Restart Probem

Here is the Solution to the Boot Camp "Disk Error Press Any Key To Restart"

Boot Camp is a program that will help you to install Microsoft Windows on your Mac with just a few clicks. However, it took me three days to figure out how to do it.

On this page you will find the solution to the "Disk Error, Press Any Key To Restart" problem a lot of boot camp users seem to encounter. I battled with this for 3 days until I finally found the solution.

Background:

The "Disk Error, Press Any Key To Restart" message appears after you have installed windows XP and wait for your Mac to boot into Windows for the first time.

The Problem:

The reason this message appears is that Windows doesn't recognize the file system on the partion where you installed Windows XP.

Boot Camp pre-formats the partion when you first decide how big partion you want. You know the screen where you can choose 32GB or use the slide to determine how big partion you want.

Then when you are running the windows installer (who takes forever to load), the installer determin the partion Boot Camp made as FAT32. Here's the problem. You have to format the Boot Camp partion using the Windows Installer. If you don't do this, Windows will be installed on a file system it doesn't recognize and the "Disk Error Press Any Key To Restart" will appear when the installer is finished and try to boot into Windows.

How To Format The Partion Using The Windows Installer:

Here's where I got stuck and searched for an answer for 3 days before finding out how to do it.

When using the windows installer, you should be given the option to format the file system before windows is being installed. This is not always the case..

Appearantly there are different versions of the Windows Installer Software. Some gives you the option while others just goes ahead and install Windows without asking you if you want to format the partion first.

So the option to format the partion to either FAT32 or NTFS file system, depends on which type of Windows CD you have.

If you already have the option to format the file system before installing Windows, then the fix is easy. Simply choose to format the partion to either: FAT32 or NTFS.

The screen should look like the one below.. You will have a fifth choice which says something like: "Leave the partion as it is" DO NOT CHOOSE THIS OPTION!

You have to format the partion to either FAT32 or NTFS. If you choose FAT32, you will be able to both read and write to the partion. If you choose NTFS, you will only be able to read the partion.

What Should You Do If You Don't Have The Option Format The Partion In The Windows Installer

This is what happened to me.. I didn't get the chance to format the file system after I choosed which partion to install Windows on. The installer just went on and installed directly, and eventually I got the "Disk Error" messsage.

The fix for this is to obtain a different Windows Installer CD which have the option to format the partion.

Now the question arise.. Which Windows CD do you need?

I didn't have the the time or the money going out and buying every kind of Windows CD, just to find the right one. I already have bought a copy of Windows and I didn't want to buy another one.. So I asked a friend, (who uses Windows) to download one from a torrent site..

Now, after a lot of testing he finally found a CD that offered the format option.

I don't know if I'm allowed to link to a torrent site, but the name of the windows CD is: "Windows XP Professional SP2 Integrated Sept 2008" Just do a search for it on google and you should be able to find it. Once you find it then burn it with a program that allows you to burn CD images (ISO) and you have yourself the right CD.

You can also try to buy a new copy of Windows XP, but I can't tell you which one to buy.. =(!

I hope this helps any problem you have with Boot Camp. Below are some links that will help you even further on how to successfully install Windows XP on your MAC.

How to Format Hard Drive and Install Windows Operating System

FORMAT HARDDISK/ HARDDRIVE

Depending on whether you are formatting your master hard drive or slave hard drive the ways of formatting will differ.
To format a Slave Hard drive (Not the hard drive with your current Operating System) you can simply format the drive in two ways, these methods are

1. Simply go into My computers then right click the specific Hard drive you wish to format then simply click Format. From here you can select the format type Fat 32 or NTFS ( NTFS the most common these days as its much faster than Fat 32)

Its also best to click the quick format option as this will dramatically reduce the time it will take to format the Drive. Remember when using this method you must close all applications and files that are being run the computer from that drive otherwise you will not be able to proceed with the format.

2. The next way is to format your hard drive via command prompt. To enter command prompt simply click start then run and enter “cmd” (without the “”) this will then bring up the command line. You can now format from here by simply typing format followed by the drive letter. E.g Format C:/

The next method is for formatting your primary or master drive and the best way to do this is to do it as a part of your windows installation. I will cover the formatting of the hard drive along with the installation of windows O/S below.

Format Hard disk and Install Windows Operating System

Steps

1. The first step is to enter your computers BIOS. To do this when your computer is booting up it may ask you if you wish to enter setup or bios. The most common key to enter your setup/bios is DEL or F1. It may differ depending on what sort of motherboard you have just make sure you look out for the alert to find the appropriate key. If you cant seem to catch the key or if the screen flashes on too quick try pressing the Pause Break key and this will pause the boot up screen for you.

2. The next step is to change the boot up options for your computer. Depending on your motherboard it will be in a different location but it should be quite easy to find with a little searching. When you find it simply change the boot up priority on your computer so that the number 1 priority is to boot from CD or DVD ROM Drive.

3. Once you have setup your boot up priority and saved and exited your BIOS, its time to put your Windows CD into your CD/DVD rom drive and wait for it to do its thing and boot up. You may be presented with an option “If you wish to boot from the CD press any key” where you should press a key for the windows cd booting process begins.

4. Once the windows CD has booted up select from the Menu install Windows. From this point you can choose where about you want to install your operating system files. When starting from scratch the easiest thing to do is to delete all the partitions and start from the beginning. Once you have created the partition sizes you would like (e.g. a 80GB hard drive into two 40GB partitions.) you can select on which partition to install windows. Its always recommended to install windows onto a partition incase one of the partitions fails the other one can be used to retrieve backup data.

5. Now select the type of format FAT 32 or NTFS (NTFS recommended) and once you’ve pressed enter Windows will pretty much take over the rest. You will have to answer a few prompts along the way (admin name, passwords, network settings etc) but that’s about it. The installation of windows usually takes no longer than an 120 minutes , the time taken will depend on how much memory you have, hard drive space and cpu speed.

Windows 7 Feature Focus – Backup and Restore

Windows Vista replaced the antiquated, tape-oriented Windows NT Backup wizard with a new backup system optimized for external hard disks, and some editions also included true "bare metal" disaster recovery. However, Vista's Backup and Restore Center was missing some vital functionality: there was no way to create a Recovery Environment disc to boot your system (you were expected to use your Windows Vista DVD), file and folder backup and system image backup were performed with different programs, and Home Premium users who needed image backup had to purchase a third-party program. Windows 7 builds on the new features in Windows Vista's backup and fills in the missing functionality. To see how Windows Backup has been transformed from awkward adolescence into full maturity, keep reading.

Starting Backup and Restore for the First Time

To start Backup or Restore functions in Windows 7, open Control Panel and click Back Up Your Computer from the System and Security category:

Windows Backup and Restore has two panes. The right pane is used to configure and run backup and restore functions. This is the right pane for Windows 7 Home Premium (the focus of this article) before it is configured:

The right pane for Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate offers additional links for system recovery:

The left pane is used to launch backup-related tasks:



Setting Up Windows Backup

To set up Windows Backup, click the Set Up Backup link (1). Note that it is marked with a Windows Security shield, which indicates that users might see a User Account Control (UAC) prompt.

Setting Up a Scheduled Backup Job

Next, Windows Backup displays suitable locations for storing your backup: internal and external hard disks and DVD drives are listed. To save the backup on a network share in Business and Ultimate, click Save to Network (Home Premium users can't use network shares). In this example from Home Premium, I selected a Maxtor OneTouch 4 (2), which has over twice the free space of my system drive. After selecting your location, click Next to continue. If you didn't connect your backup drive until you reached this step, click Refresh.

When you use the default "Let Windows Choose" setting (3), Windows Backup creates two backup types in a single operation: a system image you can use for "bare metal" disaster recovery, and a backup of data files in libraries, the Windows desktop, and default Windows folders. Click Next to continue.

How to Fix "Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close."?

It's a common error message of Windows XP "Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close." This error is occurred for several reasons. For example, if Internet Explorer suddenly crashes you will see this message. But the great thing is that you can easily solve this type of error message. This page contains the information related to fixing Generic Host Process Error.

Steps to to Fix "Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close."

You can easily solve the problem or error message "Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close." Just follow any of the following methods:

Note: Both the method is the same. If you like the simple and easy solution then only follow Method 2 and ignore Method 1.

Method 1:

1. Copy the following code [only the bold codes].

@ECHO off

Echo Coded by http://hubpages.com/profile/rancidTaste

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\netbt\parameters /v TransportBindName /t REG_SZ /d "" /f

reg add HKLM\Software\Microsoft\OLE /v EnableDCOM /t REG_SZ /d "N" /f

Echo Coded by http://hubpages.com/profile/rancidTaste

Echo Generic Host Error Problem Is Fixed, Press any key to continue

pause

2. Open a notepad and paste the above copied content to the notepad.

3. Save the file as GenericHostErrorProblem.bat and close it.

4. Double-click on GenericHostErrorProblem.bat and run it.

5. After fixing or removing the errors, it will ask you to press any key to finish.

6. Press any key and that's all to fix the problem Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close.

Method 2:

This is very simple and straight forward. Just download the code form the following link and run it and that's all to solve or fix the problem "Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close."

Download Generic Host Process Error Removal Tool

By following any of the above method, you can easily solve the problem Generic Host Process For Win32 Services Encountered A Problem and needs to close.

How to share folder in windows XP

In this tutorial we will learn how to share a folder or file so that other user on network can share file with your PC. This is very easy process which will allow you to a file or folder or drive of your computer on the LAN. But this should be done very carefully and I would recommend you not to share system drive (C :\) as you never know people on LAN could delete or alter your system file, which will render your system useless.

So, all you need to do is simply follow below steps one by one. That’s it.

Double click on My Computer and then right click on Shared Documents and select “Sharing & Security” option.



Now click the red rectangle as mentioned in the below image. On clicking this will pop up a small window. This would appear only if you are sharing the folder on your computer for first time. If it so then skip to step 3.



Click on “Just enable file sharing” radio button & click OK button.



Check the option “Share this folder on network”, this option allows us to share the selected folder on network. Next, in the textbox specify the name of the shared folder; this name would appear on the Network. Third option “Allow network user to change my files” makes your folder read-only if it is unchecked, means user from LAN can use files of this folder in read-only mode and they cannot paste anything in this folder. And if this is option is checked then network user will have full privilege of read & write. This permission depends on you. After this click OK button.



Now you can notice that the shared document’s icon has changed and a hand like image is appeared. Congratulation! You have successfully completed the LAN connection and shared the folder. Repeat the same steps on the other PC or Laptop.



Now I m sure that you want to see the other shared PC form your PC. For that just do the following: double click on “My Network Places”. Here you should see some shared folder of your own as well as other’s PC (shared folders are only visible if you have configured properly min. two PCs). These shared folders which you can see here only display the shared resources of the same workgroup. To see the shared resources PC wise to this, click on “View Workgroup Computers” on the left pane as shown on image.



In “PC wise view of shared computers” image there is red numeric marking, where 1 tries to shows the name of the workgroup, and 2 shows the UP arrow button, on clicking which; it will show the different workgroups.

“Access is denied” error message when you try to access a folder on LAN

To resolve this problem, you must turn off Simple File Sharing, and then take ownership of the folder:
1. Turn off Simple File Sharing.
· Click Start, and then click My Computer.
· On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
· Under Advanced Settings, click to clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box, and then click OK.
2. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message, if one appears.
4. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
5. In the Name list, click your user name, Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group.

If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, click to select the Replace owner on sub containers and objects check box.

6. Click OK.
You may receive the following error message, where Folder is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of:
You do not have permission to read the contents of directory Folder. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press “Yes”.

7. Click Yes.

8. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and the folder contents.

Differences between Windows 7 and Windows Vista

1. Peripherals are integrated in a smoother manner:

Now, every time you plug in a plug and play device, you will be having a different experience each time. Because this time, Windows 7 has turned its peripheral detection and support, more device central rather than shooting just an auto-run option as it used to do in Windows 7 and windows Vista. This will be more helpful, when you will be using different kind of peripheral devices. By far, almost all kinds of devices will be supported with the necessary drivers. And as if its not enough, Windows 7 will help you find the website of your peripheral device's manufacturer, and allow you do more than what you could have done with the auto-run interface only. Just for an example, say you plug in a camera, Windows 7 might take you to that manufacturer's website, where you might be having an option of uploading your photos to an online album. Best thing is, you won't be running out of drivers for your peripheral devices, as Windows 7 has been included an ocean of such drivers, and if by chance the driver is not existent there, Windows 7 will find it over the net for you.

2. Very much improved UAC:

The only problem, that was always discussed in most of the forums, and many questions which remained unanswered, and so many users who left the with an unsatisfied soul; will all be changed. Finally, we will be getting rid of annoying overprotective dialogue box that used to appear almost all the time, even when you changed the cursor speed or installed a software; as Windows 7 has shed overprotective dialogue boxes but still maintaining the quality protection against malicious attacks. Windows 7 will only display messages when major settings are changed.

3. Brand new taskbar:

What do you have at your bottom right corner of the screen? a set of icons which keeps popping up balloons one after another, giving an illusion of fancy lighting in a wedding? Well, don't worry anymore; as in Windows 7 Microsoft has made sure that you have the complete authority to change the settings required and allow or disallow only the required icons and also change the settings for notifications that might appear on screen and probably annoy you. Even the small little triangle that used to expand into the taskbar revealing all programs that are running; is gotten rid of. Now at the same place, if you move your cursor, you'll be getting a list of processes that are running.

4. Super fast performance:

Probably this is the major improvement upon Vista, which will heighten the sales of Windows 7. Microsoft had promised that it would deliver an Operating System that would be much faster than Vista. And yes it did, when the beta version of 7 was released and was tested. Windows 7 has very few startups process, and hence unspoken of, loads very fast. And in fact there are very few processes that run in the background and eat up memory cycles. But, anyways, performance of final release is yet to be tested. But till then, 7 have been rocking.