Windows 7 Problems

[terminator363]

I have a friend who has had these problems with Windows 7 for years. I've decided to help him but after downloading Service Pack 1, GPU drivers and the latest flash update, nothing has changed. His problems include:

• No windows transparency
• The close/minimize buttons on the top right hand corner are separate (with spaces in between)
• No animations or thumbnails
• Resolution seems to be messed up (native res doesn't work and all the others are just blurry or don't fit)
• When starting up, the Windows 7 loading picture is different - instead of having the lights come together to form the windows logo, we get the Windows Vista loading screen
• contrast, colours and saturation are messed up

Honestly what could it be guys? I did whatever I could and my mind is boggled

This is what we get when we boot:

Skip to 0:18 - 0:26

This is what we should get:

His windows look like this:
http://www.ipvanish.com/visualguides/PPTP/Windows7/PPTP-Windows7-10.jpg

Not like this:
https://www.astrill.com/public/kb/images/windows-7-sstp-006.jpg

I thought his graphics card was the problem but we installed the latest drivers from Nvidia last night and we still get this.

 

[Submerged]

Your friend was sold a Vista computer if it came up with a Vista start up.

It cannot have been a Windows 7, then revert back to a Windows Vista (to my knowledge).

 

[terminator363]

I did some research on the Vista start up thing and it seems that computers with low graphics ram running Windows 7 start up with the old loading bar. But for the other stuff I'm still confused.

 

[DQuaN]

Click start and type "aero" in to the search bar. Then click "Find and fix problems with transparency...".

 

[Grayfox]

Firstly what kind of GPU does he have.
Secondly that PC has Vista installed not 7.

 

[terminator363]

He has an Nvidia 9500GT

@Grayfox

I Googled the loading screen and people are saying it occurs when a computer has little graphics RAM.

 

[DQuaN]

What about the fact that it says Windows Vista Business at the bottom of the logon screen?

 

[terminator363]

That's the thing, it doesn't. It only shows the loading bar and then it goes into the Windows 7 log in.

(Those videos were just examples)

 

[DQuaN]

Oh right, I thought that was a video of the actual computer.

Yeah I get the same loading bar on my Win7 machine.

Did you try the fix I mentioned above?

Have you installed the latest GPU drivers?

 

[terminator363]

Yep, downloaded the latest Drivers from Nvidia the night before. I'm not at his house at the moment so I can't try that fix at the moment. When I get a chance to go on his computer I'll see if it helps. I'll reply again if nothing has worked.

 

[Sanji Himura]

I did some research on the Vista start up thing and it seems that computers with low graphics ram running Windows 7 start up with the old loading bar. But for the other stuff I'm still confused.

Submerged was right. Your friend was duped. He has a Vista machine, not Windows 7. My computer is a vista machine and it starts up exactly the same way in the first video.

 

[terminator363]

I went into the dxdiag in Run and it says he's running Windows 7 32bit Service Pack 1.

 

[Grayfox]

9500GT should work.

Try running winSAT.exe

As for the win vista boot screen.

The PC must have been repaired with a vista boot disc at one point as it replaces the corrupted BCD with vistas BCD which still will boot 7.

 

[terminator363]

The PC must have been repaired with a vista boot disc at one point as it replaces the corrupted BCD with vistas BCD which still will boot 7.

What is BCD?

 

[Grayfox]

BCD is the new version of the boot.ini.

But this is not as easy to edit and to edit it you go through the CMD or use a program to do it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_Configuration_Data#Boot_Configuration_Data

 

[DQuaN]

Actually Grayfox, some Win7 machines have the green bar when loading. Including mine.

 

[Grayfox]

Win 7 Starter?

All main stream ones i have seen ie Home Premium, Business and Ultimate have the Win logo.

Not tested -NOGUIBOOT option though.

 

[terminator363]

I guess I'll fix the window problems with the transparency but how will I fix the resolution problems?

 

[djinline]

Have you tried changing resolutions from the Nvidia control panel if the Windows' own settings won't work?

 

[HE1RO]

Well, you could just tell your friend to go into Control Panel > System and Security > System and at the top it should tell you what OS, and what bit it is (32 or 64).

If he has Vista... i feel bad for him. If he has Win7... something is wrong. Before doing anything or asking anymore questions i would make sure exactly what OS he is running.

 

[terminator363]

He's running Windows 7 32bit. I've already checked this.

Have you tried changing resolutions from the Nvidia control panel if the Windows' own settings won't work?

Nvidia control panel doesn't work properly, if I attempt to use any HD resolution (720p+) the PC black screens and I have to wait for it to undo the changes. Yet Windows says the native resolution should be (something)x720.

Note*: yes every driver is 100% up to date.

 

[Grayfox]

If you can't adjust the resolution the video card may be screwed.

Does it have a ! next to display adapters in control panel?

 

[TJ13]

If it's windows 7 starter then a lot of features in windows 7 is disabled by default and have to upgrade to either home, premium, ultimate.
Also would have some problems if going from vista 64 to windows 7 32 if it was an upgrade.

Just thought of this I know most vista should be compatible with windows 7 if it's the same bit version. If it's not then it maybe the problem?

My instructor told me that.

 

[Grayfox]

You can not go from Vista x64 to 7 x86