Knowledge Center

APPLIES TO:

Microsoft Windows All Versions.

Any laptop model using Realtek driver with built-in speakers. 

RESOLUTION:
The problem appears to be related to Realtek audio driver that comes preinstalled on most laptops.  If you are using the preinstalled Realtek driver you will need to change to the Windows native audio driver.  To change your system to using the Windows native audio driver follow the steps below:

1. Open the Device Manager.
   • Windows 7: Click on the Windows icon or press the Windows key on your keyboard if it is available. Click to select the Control Panel ->Hardware and Sound. Under Devices and Printers select Device Manager.
   • Windows 10: Click on the Windows start button or press the Windows key on your keyboard if it is available. Click on the cog icon ⚙ to open Settings. In the Windows setting dialog box type "Device Manager" (without quotes) into the search box press enter. In the Search results click the Device Manager to open. 
2. In the Device Manager dialog box locate "Sound, video & game controllers". Click the less than icon > on the left to expand.
3. Right click on "Realtek High Definition Audio".
4. Select to "Update Driver Software".
5. Click on "Browse my computer for driver software".
6. Click "Let me pick from a list of drivers on my computer". (Put a check in the box "Show compatible hardware" if not already checked)
7. In the list of devices, click "High Definition Audio" (the native driver). Click Next.
8. On the Update Driver Warning box, click "Yes" to install the driver. 
9. If prompted restart the computer otherwise retest to audio to test for resolution.

If the problem continues then test further using external speakers. 

If you still have the problem with external speakers then attempt the resolution above one more time. Then if you still have the problem search for an updated driver for your audio device. 

If the problem does not occur with external speakers then there may be a problem with the speaker hardware.

SYMPTOMS: As of the release of Office 2007, Microsoft Office file formats have changed.  This format change was a compression algorithm that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data. This compression reduces the size of files that will allow them to travel through email. 

To accommodate the Microsoft Office community with conversion, Microsoft has provided for bulk conversion.

The following table contains the Microsoft Office file extension changes that occurred as of Microsoft Office 2007.

RESOLUTION: The following steps can be used to convert Microsoft Office files in bulk to the new compression format. 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Download the "Office Planning Migration Manager" from the following link:
                  • https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21888#filelist
               2. Download "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack" from the following link:  
                  • https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3
                  • To install follow these instructions.
                    • Ensure your system is up to date by installing all High-Priority/Required updates on Microsoft Update (required for Microsoft Office XP and 2003 users).
                    • Locate the "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack" (FileFormatConverters.exe) in the "Download" folder where you saved the file to your hard disk.
                    • Double-click the FileFormatConverters.exe program file on your hard diaddsk to start the setup program.
                    • Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
               3. Click on the Windows Start  and select "Run" or right click on Windows Start and select "Run"
                  • Type in the following command in the run line: MigrationPlanningManager.exe /extract:c:\<folder> where <folder> is the path you want the files extracted to.
               4. Using the Windows File Explorer open the folder specified in the path of <folder> in step 3. 
               5. Locate the file titled ofc.ini and right click on the file. In the resulting context menu select "Open with" and select Notepad from the programs list. 
                  • Add the following line to the ofc.ini file and save the file using Notepad. "fldr=c:\My Documents" without quotes and where the path is the location where your files are located to be converted.
               6. Return to the folder where you extracted the "Migration Planning Manager" files to and there you will see a file called "ofc.exe". This is the Office File Converter that will convert all old Office files to the new 2007 Office document format in bulk. Double click the ofc.exe file to run the conversion.

                  All the old Office files in that folder (and sub-folders) will be converted to the new format and are saved in a new folder.

                  This utility works with Word (doc to docx), Access databases, PowerPoint (ppt to pptx), Visio diagrams, Excel (xls to xlsx) and Microsoft Project files.

SYMPTOMS: Installation fails when running setup executable for Lightscribe Template Labeler with the error message, "The operating system is not adequate for running Lightscribe Template Labeler"  

RESOLUTION: 

1. Run the installer. (It doesn't matter what compatibility mode its in)

2. When you receive the error message "the operating system is not adequate for running lightscribe template labeler",  do not click on OK and acknowledge the error message, leave that window open. 

3. Enter the following command in the Run command for your version of Windows, "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp" (without quotes).

In Windows 10:
  a.right click on Start
  b. Select "Run" and enter the following "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp" (without quotes).

In Windows 8.1:
  a. From the Start Window click on the Desktop
  b. Press the Windows Key and R key at the same time to bring up the Run command.
  c. Enter the following: "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp" (without quotes) and press Enter

In Windows 7 add the Run command to the Start menu:
  a. Right-click the Start button.
  b. Click Properties.
  c. Click Customize.
  d. Put a check mark in the Run command box.
  e. Click OK.
  f. Click on the Start menu and select Run

5. Right click the folder and open it using Notepad. Once in the folder scroll down and look for the file "LightScribe Template Labeler.msi" (without quotes) in the list of files.

6. Once you have confirmed the file is contained in the guid folder, copy this folder to your desktop and then you can click ok on the error message from the installer.

7. Download lessmsi. (This is a free utility called Less MSIerables that allows you to see the inards of msi files and extract their contents.)

8. Right click the Desktop and select New>Folder. Name the folder "Extracted Lessmsi". Copy the downloaded file  lessmsi to this folder and then double click the file to run it.

9. If you closed the Notepad view of the guid file reopen the file using Notepad. Then drag and drop the LightScribe Template Labeler.msi file into Less MSIerables.

10. Click the "Select All" button at the bottom and then Extract.

11. Choose a new folder to extract the files to and click ok. Once extracted close Less MSIerables.

12. Go to the folder you extracted the files to then drill into SourceDir/program files/.

13. Copy the LightScribe Template Labeler directory and paste this folder into C:\Program Files (x86). Click ok on any confirmations windows may give you.

14. Now go back to the folder you extracted the files to from step 11 again but this time drill into SourceDir/Windows/system32/. Copy the three files you find there (msvcm80.dll, msvcp80.dll, msvcr80.dll)

15. Now navigate to: C:\Program Files (x86)\LightScribe Template Labeler and paste those three files there.

16. Now create a shortcut on your desktop to C:\Program Files (x86)\LightScribe Template Labeler\TemplateLabeler.exe and run it.

PROPERTIES: Last modified: 6/13/17  Revision: 1.0  

APPLIES TO:

Windows 10

HOW TO:

If Windows is not functioning properly or crashes the System File Checker can be used to fix file corruption of the Windows Operating System

RESOLUTION:

Step 1: Open an elevated command prompt. To do this, right click Start, and select Search in the Search dialog box type in Command Prompt or cmd. In the resulting box, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.

Step 2: At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannow  (Note: the space after sfc)

The sfc /scannow command will scan all protected system files, and replace corrupted files with a cached copy.

Once the System Filer Check has completed your message may be: 
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Details are included in the CBS.log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example c:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. 

If this is your message run the System File Checker again until you get the following message:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Finished.

If you get the message: 
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log  winDir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.

Then open the command prompt and run the following command. 

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

 MORE INFORMATION: See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article at the following address: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system

APPLIES TO:

Windows 10

SYMPTOMS:

USB ports not working in Windows 10

RESOLUTION:

METHOD 1:

Step 1: Test all USB ports on the computer and test ports with other devices. If you attempting to use a thumb drive try another thumb drive or try a usb mouse in the port. This will narrow down if the problem is isolated to a single port or all ports and if there is a problem with the usb device. 

Step 2: Open Device Manager by right clicking on the Windows startup icon and then selecting Device Manager. You can also press Windows Key + R  to launch the Run dialogue box.

Type in devmgmt.msc and click OK.

Step 3:  In Device Manager dialog box locate Universal Serial Bus Controllers and expand. Make note of what is listed. If you have multiple USB ports on your system you should have multiple Generic USB Hub devices. It should look similar to the following image but it may not be exact. (Image is for example purposes only).

Step 4: With the Device Manager open and the Universal Serial Controllers expanded you want to visually look and see if you see any of the Generic USB devices with a warning on them like this.

Step 5: Right click on one of the Generic USB's with the warning and select Update driver. In the Update drivers dialog box select Browse my computer for driver software, then click on Let me pick from list of available drivers on my computer. 

Step 6: In the compatible devices list select Generic USB Hub, click Next. You should get a dialog box stating, Windows has successfully updated your drivers. If you did not get the dialog that Windows successfully update the driver proceed to Method 2.  

Step 7:  Close all the dialog boxes and reboot the computer and test the USB ports for connectivity. If the ports work then repeat Steps 1 through 6 for each USB device that displayed a warning in the Device Manager. If the USB ports are not working proceed to Step 8. 

NOTE: If you get a warning dialog stating the the driver is corrupted proceed to Method 4.

METHOD 2:

Step 1: If Windows failed to update properly you may have gotten a message like this:

If you received an error code 39 or the driver did not install properly continue to the next step. 

Step 2: Open Device Manager and again navigate to the USB Serial Bus Controllers and expand. Right click on the first device listed under the USB Controllers and select Uninstall device. Repeat the device uninstall for each of the USB devices listed. 

Step 3: Right click on the root USB Serial Bus Controller and select Scan for hardware changes. If there is an error message or testing the USB ports you find it is still not working proceed to Method 3.

METHOD 3: This section involves modifying the Windows Registry. If you are uncomfortable with modifying the registry contact a professional. 

Step 1: Open the Windows registry editor by pressing the Windows Key + R  to launch the Run dialogue box.

Type in regedit and click OK. In the warning dialog box click Yes to allow access.

Step 2: In the registry editor navigate to the following location:
“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}  Locate the string value LowerFilter and UpperFilter if they exist. If they do not exist move on the Method 4. 

Step 3: Right click the Registry Key 4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318 and select Export. In the Export dialog box name the file and save the file. By default the file will save to the Documents folder.

Step 4: Once the registry key is saved remove the value from LowerFilter and UpperFilter if the string exists. To remove the value by double clicking on the string name and in the dialog box delete contents in the Value data or Right click on the LowerFilter/UpperFilter string value and choose delete.

• A dialog box will pop-up to confirm the deletion. Choose Yes to delete the value. 

Step 5: Close the registry editor and repeat Method 1. 

METHOD 4:

Follow the steps to run the System File Checker in Windows 10. After completing the article return to this article and repeat beginning with Method 1. 

RESOLUTION: iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPad 4 all use a Zif connector to connect the digitizer to the motherboard. 

On the ribbon cable of the digitizer, there is a white stripe, usually, that stripe indicates how far to push the ribbon cable into the connector having the white line exactly line up with the front edge of the connector. However, in this case the white line needs to be inside the connector. 

Seat the ribbon cable into the connector as far as it can go and test the device. 

If this still does not work try the following.

1. Clean the ribbon cable ends with a 90% alcohol. Retest.
2. Connect everything and try a hard reset by holding the home button and wake/power button at the same time. Retest. 
3. Disconnect digitizer and LCD, remove screws from the motherboard to allow for disconnection of the battery. Place a plastic pick between the battery and motherboard to keep the connection open. Reconnect Digitizer and LCD and reconnect the battery last. Retest.

If you are still experiencing a problem with the touch screen it is beyond the scope of this article. 

RESOLUTION: The flashing yellow folder is an indicator that the hard drive has failed, the hard drive connector has failed, or the system files needed to start-up and boot are corrupt.

STEP 1:

1. Shutdown the entire system. If you cannot get the system to fully shut down you can force shutdown by holding the system's power button until it shuts down.
2. Disconnect all peripheral devices printers, external hard drives and any network cables attached to your System.
3. Restart your MAC system.
4. If you still cannot boot the system continue to Step 2.

STEP 2 SAFE BOOT:

1. Shutdown your system. 
2. Press and hold the Shift key and while holding the Shift key press the power button to start the system. This will start the safe boot.
3. If by performing the safe boot, MAC performs as expected; restart the system normal. If the system will not start normal after this process continue to Step 3. 

STEP 3 RESET PRAM/NVRAM:

1. Shutdown your system. 
2. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before pressing the power button. 
3. Continue holding the keys until the system restarts and you hear the start-up sound for the second time.
4. Release the keys. If your system still does not start continue to STEP 4.

STEP 4 TEST HARD DRIVE USING AN EXTERNAL DRIVE CABLE

1. If you do not have an external hard drive cable proceed to Step 5. If you do have an external drive cable then continue.
2. Using a Phillips #00 screwdriver remove the 10 screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody. Keep track of where the screws belong since they are two different sizes.
3. Carefully lift the lower case and push it toward the rear of the computer to clear the mounting tabs.
4. Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board and bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect. *Suggestion: A piece of tape over the connector can help with this.
5. Loosen the two Phillips screws securing the hard drive bracket to the upper case they will not fully come out of the bracket. Lift the bracket to allow for lifting the hard drive. 
6. Lift the hard drive using the pull tab. Only lift it far enough to remove the hard drive cables. 
7. If necessary remove the tape from the battery connector and reconnect the battery to the motherboard.
8. Carefully secure the case bottom to the computer body using a few of the screws. Enough to just hold it in place while testing. 
9. Once the base is secured, turn the computer back over. Do not open the lid yet. 
10. Connect the hard drive to the external hard drive cable. Open the lid and press the power button to boot the system. Note: You may need to connect the charging cord to force the boot. 
11. Test if the system boots. If you system does boot off the external hard drive then you will need to replace the ribbon cable between the motherboard and the hard drive. If you still cannot boot the system continue to STEP 5.

STEP 5 REMOVE THIRD PARTY RAM

1. Shutdown your system. 
2. Using a Phillips #00 screwdriver remove the 10 screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody. Keep track of where the screws belong since they are two different sizes.
3. Carefully lift the lower case and push it toward the rear of the computer to clear the mounting tabs.
4. Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board and bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect. *Suggestion: A piece of tape over the connector can help with this.
5. Locate the memory slots and remove any non-Apple or third party RAM.
6. Reinsert the  Apple RAM that came with the MAC. Please note that different OS X of MAC supports different sizes of minimum RAM.
7. If your MAC starts successfully without any unexpected error while using your Apple RAM, then you should contact your third party RAM vendor for further troubleshooting.

STEP 6 TRY TO ACCESS THE HARD DRIVE FROM ANOTHER MAC

1. Using external hard drive cables connect the hard drive to another Mac computer and attempt to read the hard drive. If you can read the hard drive then using the Mac tools try to verify and repair the hard drive. 
2. Once the hard drive has been verified and repaired return the hard drive to the original computer and attempt to boot again.

If you still continue to have problems contact the Genius Bar or a reputable computer repair professional.

This table of shortcuts is the most commonly used. As of the release of Windows 8, the shortcuts and menu available are quite extensive. Microsoft provides this additional shortcut at the following link:

Keyboard shortcuts in Windows (microsoft.com)