Windows booted on startup without being selected

I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right place or not, but here goes; Fired up my machine this morning and it started in windows with an error message about an unexpected failure(start in safe mode). I've never had this happen before, as I always start in OSx and use VMWare Fusion if i need windows for anything, and not boot camp. Any ideas what would have caused this to happen? I'm confused to say the least.

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Efibootmgr & gummiboot replaced UEFI entry for Windows Boot Manager

TLDR
I am now in Windows 7 and dual boot with Arch is working fine.
But before I update Arch, I would like to understand what happened, as in why adding an efibootmgr entry for Arch replaced/deleted the Windows Boot Manager entry although I followed the BG.
The status of my UEFI boot menu was, before the installation of Arch:
Windows Boot Manager
AHCI HDJ... (hard drive 1)
AHCI ST... (hard drive 2)
While working through the BG, I decided to use gummiboot=> https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … #Gummiboot. So:
pacman -S gummiboot
gummiboot install
pacman -S efibootmgr
gummiboot install
[some error ocurred, as mentioned in red box]
efibootmgr -c -L "Gummiboot" -l /EFI/gummiboot/gummibootx64.efi
nano /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf
title Arch Linux
linux /vmlinuz-linux
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
options root=/dev/sdb3 ro
[CTRL + X, Y, Enter]
exit
umount /mnt/{boot,home,}
reboot
I then saw a new list of the UEFI boot order:
Gummiboot
AHCI HDJ... (hard drive 1)
AHCI ST... (hard drive 2)
Chose Gummiboot and it brought up a gummiboot menu with entries
Arch Linux
Windows Boot Manager
EFI Shell something
Selected Arch Linux and it went to a message something along "boot device ' ' not found" and I was in a shell which was, I think, rootfs.
I rebooted via the button on my desktop and out the Arch Linux USB drive back. After mounting the partitions:
gummiboot remove
efibootmgr
[0000: Windows Boot Manager
[0001: Arch Linux
[0002: AHCI HDJ...
[0003: AHCI ST...
exit
umount /mnt/{boot,home,}
reboot
Now I booted into a black screen with white text which said something "Reboot and select proper Boot device"
=> Inserted Win 7 64-bit DVD, repaired the boot sector. Rebooted, saw I had these entries again:
Windows Boot Manager
AHCI HDJ... (hard drive 1)
AHCI ST... (hard drive 2)
The boot into Windows worked fine. Rebooted, chrooted into my install again and:
efibootmgr
[0000: Arch Linux
[0001: Windows Boot Manager
[0003: AHCI HDJ...
[0003: AHCI ST...
efibootmogr -b 0 -B
Then I used the EFISTUB method:
efibootmgr -c -L "Arch Linux" -l /vmlinuz-linux -u "root=/dev/sdb3 ro initrd=/initramfs-linux.img"
efibootmgr
[0000: Windows Boot Manager
[0001: Arch Linux
[0002: AHCI HDJ...
[0003: AHCI ST...
exit
umount /mnt/{boot,home,}
reboot
On reboot, 'Windows Boot Manager' was again replaced by 'Arch Linux'.
=> Inserted Win 7 64-bit DVD, repaired the boot sector.
Rebooted, I have now Windows Boot Manager + Arch Linux and dual boot works now.
My questions:
What is going on with efibootmgr replacing/deleting the Windows entry? Is there something wrong with my UEFI menu?
In connection with 1., I would like to sync the EFISTUB Kernel (wiki entry) before I run pacman -Syu. Can I do that now?
Can I uninstall gummiboot now?
Last edited by jones (2013-07-11 12:30:55)

henrik wrote:So in light of your post, I decided to ditch EFISTUB + gummiboot and try out GRUB. Thanks for clearing it up a bit. Which is what confuses me a great deal more, as GRUB/gummiboot obviously do not meddle with Microsoft's EFI files. Right?
EFI relies on two things to boot:
Boot loader program files on the ESP (or occasionally elsewhere).
NVRAM entries pointing to the boot loader files.
Your own problems seem to be with the NVRAM entries, not with the boot loader files themselves. Unfortunately, managing those NVRAM entries has proven to be problematic because of bugs in specific EFI implementations, bugs in efibootmgr and other tools that manipulate the NVRAM entries, poor documentation, and other factors.
To answer your question, though, no boot loader should mess with another's files. Such things can happen, though. The number of bugs that cause Microsoft's boot loader (EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi) to be treated deferentially have provoked some tools to use it as a target location for other boot loaders. (Ubuntu's Boot Repair tool does this in a rather overzealous way. So does my own rEFInd installer script, but only under certain narrow circumstances.) Also, the EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi file is a special case; it's the fallback bootloader that's used when NVRAM entries are missing or don't work, and various boot loader installation procedures place copies in that location, so it can be overwritten and could contain just about anything.
However, the whole thing happened again with GRUB. So I did the whole "repairing Boot problems" with the Windows DVD rescue thingy again and deleted all non-Microsoft files from the EFI partition, /dev/sda1.
Then I formatted / (root) and installed arch again and followed the Beginners' Guide which suggest mounting /dev/sda1/ to /mnt/boot (in contrast to the GRUB entry where the ESP should be mounted to /mnt/boot/efi).
I strongly advise against doing a complete re-installation just to overcome a boot loader problem. Instead, figure out what the problem is and fix it. Doing a complete re-installation is not likely to fix anything, and depending on precisely how you do it, you could end up with a more complex problem. The reason is that the re-installation is not likely to erase the NVRAM entries from the old installation, so you could find that you've got additional stray NVRAM entries. If you do happen to fix the problem by re-installing (say, because you selected a different installation option), you're not likely to know what changed to fix the problem, so you could end up in the same boat should you need to re-install again in the future.
But it did not show this line
Found Windows 7 (loader) on /dev/sda1
... how come??
I've given up trying to understand GRUB's configuration scripts. You could try creating an entry manually by editing /etc/grub.d/40_custom; or you could forget about using the GRUB scripts and create a hand-crafted grub.cfg; or you could forget about using GRUB at all. I'm not a fan of GRUB, so my personal choice is the final one.
So for all the headache and time ... should I delete the EFI partition and recreate it maybe? I think it's possible using the Windows 7 DVD.
But somehow using efibootmgr on my UEFI list somehow invalidated the Windows entry.
Reviewing your posts, it seems that you want to use the EFI stub loader directly, but you're having problems with that because when you add it to the NVRAM entries, Windows drops off your boot manager's boot options. The obvious solution to this problem is to forget about adding the EFI stub loader directly to the NVRAM entries, and instead add a boot manager that can handle either a Linux kernel or the Windows boot loader. (IMHO, this is the superior solution anyhow; I disagree with the Arch wiki's emphasis on using the EFI stub loader "raw.") It seems you were trying to do this with GRUB but had problems booting Windows. Earlier you tried gummiboot but had problems booting Linux. My suggestion is to either go back to gummiboot and fix its problem or try rEFInd. The "device not found" error you reported with gummiboot is usually caused by either a missing (or incorrectly-specified) initrd file or by an incorrectly-specified "root=" option passed to the kernel. Check those possitilities, and if you need help, report what happens in more detail. If necessary, take a digital photo of the screen and post it here. (Make sure it's legible, though!)
You can try rEFInd with minimal disk by using a CD-R or USB flash drive image. Boot with that and your NVRAM and ESP won't be affected at all. If you can get rEFInd working from the flash drive, you can then install it to your hard disk and it should continue working. Note that you probably won't be able to boot Linux directly from rEFInd with your current configuration without adding a "root=" specification to the kernel command line. You can do this by hitting F2 or Insert twice rather than launching Linux by pressing Enter. Alternatively, you can create a refind_linux.conf file in the directory that holds your kernel. That file's contents are described in the rEFInd documentation.

Windows boot manager boots almost fully into windows 8 before letting me select windows 7, at which point it reboots my computer

Hi,
I haven't used my slow HDD with windows 7 on it in a while, but today my SDD with windows 8 on it died. I have kept my old OS in a dual boot setup exactly for this rare possibility. I in fact successfully revived my SSD from windows 7.
During the restore procedure I had to boot into both OSes (7 and 8) several times before I managed to get 8 working. I tried a lot of things before one of them struck. (Is that how the phrase goes?
Me Hungary, no good speak English some times...) I am surprised to have found the following unexpected behavior of the new windows 8 branded boot loader:
The new windows boot manager boots almost fully into windows 8 before letting me select an OS.
If I select windows 7, it reboots my computer and loads windows 7, wasting a lot of time... on the windows 8 portion of the boot process, which is simply thrown away if I happen need windows 7 and not 8.
"This is highly inefficient!" — I almost exclaimed aloud... A boot manager should load just enough of itself so that a simple OS selection menu can be presented to the user with minimal keyboard interaction. Only when a selection is made should
it load an OS. I have no use for the new boot manager's mouse control support, and having it appear on the second screen in my dual screen setup is just plain scary. Use the main laptop monitor where the BIOS messages were displaying, and keep the secondary
off until the OS is done booting! By the time my secondary screen turns on, the boot selection menu disappears anyway.
Yes, I only noticed this problem now because I haven't booted into windows 7 for a long time. (300 MB worth of Windows updates were waiting for me indeed.) My boot selection menu timeout is set to 3 seconds instead of 30 so I don't have to pick windows 8
every time.
I am going to wait at least a week for the forum's input before I switch on my own to a faster, minimalist boot manager. I don't know what to use, I'm familiar with:
some minimalist bootstrap loaders
coreboot/linuxbios (recently learned of it)
bootcamp (not really)
acronis OS selector (discontinued before windows 8 came out, probably doesn't support it)
syslinux/isolinux (Linux only, I think)
old Windows bootmgr
more recent Windows ntldr
then this new "inefficient for dual booting" Windows 8 boot manager
and finally grub
Grub feels like the best option as it keeps the windows boot manager intact and supports mac, windows, and linux. All 3 of which will at one point — or has already — come up as a subject or prerequisite in my university.
I don't know how or why I was able to access windows 8's boot loader while my SSD was dead. Was it installed on the HDD, overwriting the windows 7 boot loader? That too is inefficient. I want to completely boot from my SSD. Don't spin up my HDD while I'm
booting my laptop on the go! The shaking of the vehicle I'm in could seriously damage the disk if I run into a pothole (common in my country) with just the right timing, data could be damaged. The entire reason windows 8 is on an SSD is so that it can boot
without accessing my HDD with all its moving parts. My goal with buying an SSD was for the HDD to remain safely offline while I'm in a shaky environment with potholes! Also, what if I want to disconnect the old HDD in the future... Or what if it dies? Will
the windows 8 boot loader die with windows 7? I want the two kept separately and completely independent from each other for exactly this reason.
In summary:
How can I stop windows 8 from almost fully booting before offering the dual boot OS selection menu? Do I need a better Boot loader?
Why was the boot loader that came with windows 8 still working OK while the SSD with windows 8 on it wasn't accessible? Did it sneak its way onto the old HDD? I want a 100% SSD-based boot process. What is the boot loader doing on a different drive? Its
place is on the SSD, with the operating system it belongs to. Not on the HDD of a different OS. Can I move it?
Sincerely,
Daniel "3ICE" Berezvai
p.s.: For windows 7 I only have a repair disk and hidden RECOVERY partition which I kept (came with the laptop, would rather not use it.) The Windows 8 pro DVD (purchased last year) is fine, but I had it moved to a bootable pendrive so I could remove my
optical drive and replace it with an SSD on which windows 8 is installed now. (I also have a vista ultimate DVD, as they were giving them away for free on a Microsoft conference. Funny story.)
p.p.s.: I am subscribed (☑ Alert me) to this topic and will respond to all questions and try all recommended actions right away.
http://3ice.hu/

Hi,
Thank you for your post.
From your description, I see the issue you are facing is there is no menu to choose OS when booting dual boot(Windows 7 & Windows 8). Please let me know if I have misunderstood anything.
It seems that the Windows 7 entry is missing, currently, we can use a tool –
EasyBCD to get it back. After downloading it, choose the Add/Edit panel item, select the OS you're missing and let the program detect it. Then simply click the Add button to add the missing OS entry.
At the meantime, here is a related link which demonstrates how to keep Windows 7 as the default OS in dual boot, you may use it for a reference.
How to Dual-Boot Windows 8 While Keeping Windows 7 As Your Default OS
http://blog.laptopmag.com/how-to-dual-boot-windows-8-while-keeping-windows-7-as-your-default-os
[Please Note: Since the website is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy
of this information.]
Regarding your second questions in your first post, you can refer to the following link to know more about dual boot.
Dual
Booting Explained: How You Can Have Multiple Operating Systems on Your Computer
http://www.howtogeek.com/187789/dual-booting-explained-how-you-can-have-multiple-operating-systems-on-your-computer/
[Please Note: Since the website is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy
of this information.]
Hopefully the information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your time.
Best Regards,
Sophia Sun
Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Can I use my Leopard (OS 10.5.8) to write a downloaded Windows file to a cd without being able to read the file?

Can I use my Leopard (OS 10.5.8) to write a downloaded Windows file to a cd without being able to read the file?

Thanks, Zombaby.
I was trying to drag and drop the file out of the download file instead of where the actual file was stored.
This it doesn't do.
All these little twists between the brain and success.
Thanks again.
ghopper

Windows boot camp wont start up

i switched to the windows os startup (my boot camp partition. Apparently the windows os isnt set up right and wont fully satrt...
So, is there a way to change back to the mac os as the start up disk without being in one of the environments--windows or mac? i guess is the a way get myslef back to the mac osx I know how to select it from control panel IF i were able to get into windows, but it doesnt boot!!

Power up your Mac while holding down the alt / option key. The grey screen appears with OSX / Windows menu. Choose OSX. When inside OSX go to Apple icon / System Preferences / Startup Disk / then choose to OSX as default ( or Windows - your choice)

How can I install new windows on NB200-10z without a CD drive?

Hi,
I have a mini laptop "Toshiba nb200-10z" and it doesnt startup anymore.
I would like to do a recovery, but it also doesnt work.
I know there is a shortcut like press the 0 button when the laptop is starting up.
With this shortcut you can start the recovery to reset the software.
But when I press the 0 button it gives me an error.
So I think the recovery drive/partition is lost.
How can I install new windows on this minilaptop without a CD drive?

I have found a much easier way to install Windows 7 from a USB Flash drive. Unlike other methods where you have to write complicated commands, this method can be completed even by those who have very little computer background.
The whole process takes only two steps, run UNetbootin, load the Windows 7 ISO file, and finally restart your computer.
Before you begin, you will require the following:
USB Flash Drive (4GB minimum)
Windows 7 ISO Image file
UNetbootin
Note: If UNetbootin doesnt work, try out the Microsofts official tool called Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool.
Now insert the USB drive, run UNetbootin, and select Disk Image as ISO. Browse your local drive for Windows 7 ISO that you downloaded and click Open. Now Select Type as USB and choose the drive. Once done, it will look like a bit similar to the screenshot shown below.
Click OK and it will begin extracting all installation files to the USB drive. The whole process will take some time (10-15 minutes), so have patience.
Once the installation is complete, reboot your computer. Now while your system is starting up press the appropriate button (usually F1, F2, F12, ESC, Backspace, or Escape) to bring up Bios Boot Menu.
Change the startup order to boot USB by default, usually you will have to press F6 to move the selected USB device on top. Once done, save changes and restart the system.
+Message was edited: link has been removed+

Installing windows on macbook pro without bootcamp. Will this allow for switchable graphics?

Hi everyone, I was thinking of buying a new Macbook Pro Retina 15 Inch with the discrete nvidia graphics card inbuilt with it.
I love windows and I am planning on running windows 7/8 on the macbook pro as my primary OS (because of advantages of gaming and being familarized with windows os), however I have heard the issue of running windows on bootcamp severally drains battery life as apple does not allow you to switch the nvidia graphics to the integrated graphics. Is this true? I have heard that running windows 7/8 on bootcamp allows for only around 3:30 hours of battery life, whilst OSX allows for 8+ since it uses the integrated graphics primarily when not running GPU demanding applications.
I am wondering if you can install windows 7 without bootcamp which will wipe apple OS from the laptop completely. Will this allow for the laptop to do switable graphics without problems allowing the laptop to save much needed battery life?
Thanks in advance.
Michael

Sorry it seems to have taken so long for you to get an answer on this question!
Your last post was mostly right... It IS a bad idea to go that route!
While it's technically POSSIBLE to get Windows in place without OSX, it's a MAJOR technical hassle and you need to jump through several hoops to get to that point.
In addition to the hassle required, having an OSX partition can be incredibly useful at times - I've had my Windows system break several times in the past where the automated (and even manual) startup-repair process failed to get Windows booting again, but a short boot into OSX later, I have the problem resolved (via OSX) and am able to get back into Windows.
Finally, you need to be aware that the graphics card situation isn't because of the presence of OSX. Just because you get rid of MacOS doesn't mean you suddenly will be able to use either graphics card! The limitation comes into play with the hardware drivers necessary to get all your hardware working in Windows - they just don't have the facility to switch graphics cards built into them.
I'm afraid you're stuck with the NVidia card when using Windows, one way or another!
Bootcamp is a prerequisite BTW. Without it you won't be able to get Windows installed at all (at least not without MAJOR stumbling block, again!), and again, the graphics card limitation isn't due to OSX or Bootcamp.
Also, battery life... Yes. You'll have significantly less in Windows, and this isn't entirely because of the graphics card situation either. MacOS is just built so well, with the limited hardware used by Apple in mind, that power-management when using OSX os significantly better! The legendary battery life of Apple systems is actually primarily due to the operating system, not the batteries themselves!
As a helpful indication: On my 2009 17" MBP I get about 7 hours on the integrated chip in OSX (8 is pusing it, but is possible sometimes); about 5 hours in OSX when using the NVidia; and about 3 and a half when I'm in Windows.
Hope this all helps you. If you have any further questions feel free!
Apologies for the scattered approach to answering your posts - it's LATE where I am and I"m kinda rushing through things... :-)

No Windows option in Startup Disk pane

I have Windows XP installed on one MacBook and Windows 7 on another. For both computers, I have no Windows option in Startup Disk pane of System Preferences. I know the work-around, but that is not what I like. I want to be able to choose Windows in the Startup Disk pane. How can I get OS X to accept Windows as a Straup Disk pane option?

I recently came across this too. I remember the Windows partition being an option before, but it went away. I've also got Macfuse and NTFS-3G installed on my system. It would be nice if I could select the Windows drive in the Startup Disc instead of having to hold down Option when booting up.
I've also noticed that sometimes when I'm in Windows 7, the Boot Camp icon isn't there. It was there a couple days ago when I was in Win7, but yesterday it was gone. I've got Macdrive installed on that partition. Wonder if there's a connection?

How to Reset Windows 8 Admin Password without Disk

Problem:Forgot Windows 8 admin password and no reset disk available, how can I reset Windows 8 admin password? On the occasion, how to reset password on Windows 8 seems to be our problematic issue. However, the problem looks difficult, not difficult actually. Two factors make efforts on it. One is the new characteristics of Windows 8 system, the other is software technology development. So just let me help you to solve it. Just choose one and put it into practice:1. Get User password via Windows Password Hint.2. Get into computer with PIN code, and reset password for locked account.3. Login windows 8 Via Microsoft MSN Account.4. Reset Windows password with another available admin account.5. Reset Windows 8 password with iSunshare password tool. These methods will be introduced in details for people who have encountered or are facing this problem. 1. Get Administrator password via Windows Password HintWhen we are creating our Windows system account and login password, a password hint will be asked to set up for preparation. This password hint had better can remind you, only just you of lost or forgotten password. So it couldn’t like the password, but is related to your login password. As a result, while you type a wrong password, the password hint will pops up below the password input box. Based on the password hint, you can think of your origin password.  As seen above, my password hint is email [email protected], and my Windows 8 login password is the same as the password of email. So when the password hint pops up, I will think of Windows login password instantly. 2. Get into computer with PIN code, and reset password for locked accountPIN code is a quick, convenient way to sign in to this PC by using a 4-digit code. If you have ever created one, this may be the most simplest and effective method for Windows 8 password reset. Totally two steps are needed. Step 1: Sign in with PIN code
When you forgot your local account password in the login page, sign-in options is provided for you to choose. Click the Sign-in options, there are two options, Password and PIN. Choose PIN, and input 4-digit code in the box. Then you can sign in to your computer successfully. Step 2: Press Windows +X, and click on Command Prompt (Admin) and Yes. Step 3: On the Command Prompt, type in: Net User <user name> <new password> and press Enter to reset a new password for Windows 8.  Command Prompt screen appears, input the words like the words in the red box, user name is iSunshare, new password is 12345, and then press Enter to complete the Windows password reset process.  3. Login windows 8 Via Microsoft MSN AccountIf your computer has set up to sign in to Windows 8 with Microsoft account, and you can login Windows with it, and create a PIN that any user who has a password must enter it when waking this PC, and then login with PIN code, reset password with Command Prompt. 4. Reset Windows 8 Password with Another available Admin AccountIf there is another admin account available, log on to Windows with this account first, and then reset other accounts passwords would be easy.
>> Enter Computer Management screen
Click My Computer to select Manage to enter this screen
>> Set password for account you want to reset
Click Local Users and Groups, choose Users, and right-click the account you want to reset its password to choose Set Password. 5. Reset Windows 8 password with iSunshare password toolWhen you have no password reset disk, the first and most important effort of Windows password recovery advanced tool is to create a password reset disk. How to reset Windows 8 forgotten password step by step by iSunshare Windows Genius Advanced? Follow the below steps.Step 1: Download iSunshare Windows password recovery advanced tool from iSunshare official website. Install and launch it on an accessible computer.Step 2: Create a password reset disk
Insert writable USB or CD/DVD into accessible computer and select correct media type, and then click Begin burning to burn the removable device. Until the message “Successfully burning” pops up, it means password reset disk has been created completely.
Step 3: Boot from USB or CD/DVD Setup
>> Insert the removable device to your locked computer
>> Boot your locked computer, and press DEL or F2 at the same time to enter BIOS setting screen
>> Reset removable device as the first boot device under Boot option
>> Windows password reset screen appears after all the above settingsStep 4: Reset Windows 8 forgotten password
After all the above settings, Windows password reset screen appears.
>> Select the Windows system type and the account you want to reset its password. Or you can add a new account for Windows 8.
>> Click “Reboot” to restart your computer, then you could login Windows 8 without password successfully.   Source: Reset Windows 8 Password without Disk

A few days ago, I had met the headache things that I had forgotten Windows 8 password. The login screen rejected my passwords. I was frustrated because there was very important data on my disk and I couldn’t reinstall the OS. ………….
I fortunately got to know the PCUnlocker program, which is a professional windows password recovery tool for us to reset windows 8 password instantly yet no data loss.

PDF popup, in FireFox, without being prompted

Hello, I am using Windows XP Pro, SP3, fully patched and updated. My Adobe Reader is version 9.5.0. I am currently using FireFox 3.6.25, but this problem has been affecting my computer for the last year and a half, and happens with newer versions of FireFox, up to and including version 8. I downloaded a PDF file of an air compressor users manual and saved a copy to a folder on my desktop (where I store all of my PDF files).
Now, whenever my FireFox browser is up and running, this PDF file will pop up every three hours, or so. It will initially pop up about ten minutes after the browser is started, and then about three hours after I close the reader program. It, neither the file, nor Adobe Reader, asks for permission to run, the PDF file, just comes up fully formed and running in Reader.
I have search in my Reader preferences/options/setting and can’t find any setting, control, action, button or choice that allows me to stop this pop up behavior. I can move the file to another location on my “c” drive, move it to another hard drive altogether, or even rename it, all to no avail, the popup behavior remains.
Is this a Adobe “problem”, or setting, a FireFox problem (as it only happens when the FireFox browser is running), or something else I am not aware off? Thanks for any help, in advance!!

Hello Ankit, and thanks for help:
This behavior only happens with this one PDF, no others, and I have hundreds saved to the same folder.
Speak of the devil, as I was typing the first sentence of this email, it popped up. My FireFox browser is set to start when I boot my computer, and that happened about ten minutes ago.
I rarely use IE and never use any other browser. When I do use IE it is only for those websites that still don't function properly with FireFox, and I generally get there via a FireFox add-on that opens a version of IE within the FireFox browser. Also on rare occasions, I will open IE directly to view my daughters school grades, again because that website doesn't handle FireFox properly. In any case, whenever I use IE, I only keep that tab or browser running for a very short period of time, just long enough to capture my data needs, generally less than five minutes, then shut it down,........ But, I don't recall this PDF behavior ever happening with the IE usage.
Here are the PDF's Document Properties:
Under the Description tab:
Description:
    1.. File : Tecumseh_replacement_parts-7.pdf
    2.. Title: parts book.indd
    3.. Author: (blank)
    4.. Subject: (blank)
    5.. Keywords: (blank)
    6.. Created: 4/19/2005 9:00:26 AM
    7.. Modified: 10/31/2005 8:52:35 AM
    8.. Application: Adobe InDesign CS (3.0.1)
Advanced:
    1.. PDF Producer: Adobe Library 6.0
    2.. PDF Version: 1.3 (Acrobat 4.x)
    3.. Location: C:\Documents and Settings\.....Temp\
    4.. FIle Size: 2.18 MB
    5.. Page Size: 8.50 x 11.00 in
    6.. Tagged PDF: Yes
    7.. Number of Pages: 50
    8.. Fast Web View: Yes
Under the Security tab:
Document Security
    1.. Security Method: No Security
    2.. Can be Opened by: All versions of Acrobat
Document Restrictions Summary:
(everything is allowed except Document Assembly, Commenting, Signing, and Creation of Template Page)
Under the Fonts Tab: .......
Under the Advanced tab:
PDF Settings:
    1.. Base URL: (blank)
    2.. Search Index: (blank)
    3.. Trapped: No (greyed out)
Print Dialog Presets: (all greyed out)
    1.. Page Scaling: Default
    2.. Duplex Mode: Simplex
    3.. Paper Source by Page Size: No
    4.. Print Page Range: (blank)
    5.. Number of Copies: (dropped down box)
Reading Options:
    1.. Binding: Left Edge
    2.. Language: (blank)
Tell me about, and how to do it:
If I understand your request, it means remotely accessing my computer's drives to observe the PDF's behavior, program settings and preferences, registery settings, etc. I am not comfortable doing that, as my computer has a large amount of proprietary business information and personal financial information. If there is information I can pass on to you manually, or if I can contact you when the behavior happens, that would be OK.
Thanks again for your help.
dgruber
From: Ankit_Jain
To: dgruber06
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 9:23 AM
Subject: PDF popup, in FireFox, without being prompted
        Re: PDF popup, in FireFox, without being prompted
        created by Ankit_Jain in Adobe Reader - View the full discussion

No Windows Icon in Startup Disk Pane, Can't Restart

The other day the Windows XP icon that I usually select in the Startup Disk Pane wasn't there. It's back now after a reboot, but the reboot was also a problem. I just got a grey screen at first, then I restarted again holding down the Option key. After a long time, the Mac OS and Windows volumes appeared, but when I clicked on either one, nothing happened. I restarted again the the Leopard installation DVD inserted. With the Option key held down again, I got the Mac OS, Windows, and Leopard DVD showing up. I now was able to select the Leopard volume and it booted fine. This whole scenario has happened a couple of time now. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

Repair Mac OS partition from your OS X DVD (another hard drive with OS X would be even better - and a backup).
Same for Windows, Boot from CD/DVD and do system repair; safe boot if you must; and tell it you want to run CHKDSK next time you startup.
Also, system file checker for Windows:
from cmd.exe sfc /scannow
Disk drive or the volume directory for each, sounds like might be corrupt or that the drive itself could be failing and not spinning up and taking too long to mount. Could be a bad block or something else even.

Windows Script Host startup error - Windows 8

Hello all,
I got new Windows 8 Lenovo laptop recently, and I wanted to install all my games from my previous computer to my new one. So I did, but ended up with some errors (Which have nothing to due with Windows or Lenovo, but rather the games themselves), and
as a result, I had to re-install java (I mention java just to ensure I cover all the possibilities, I doubt it has anything to due with java). After some un-installations and scans/clean-ups, I got my computer back to normal except for one notable error: every
time I boot my laptop, I get an error message that is titled "Windows Script Host" and has the message "Can not find file "C:\ProgramData\Lenovo-1423.vbs"". When I safe boot I do not get this message, but when I go to troubleshoot
it in clean boot, I always get the error message, regardless of what services/startup items I have disabled. My virus softwares (Webroot and McAfee) detect no threats when I scan my drives.
I'm sure I'm overlooking something simple. And, knowing me, I probably posted this in the wrong category, so apologies in advanced. Can someone please offer me help?

Hi there. I had a similar problem and was able to resolve it. Every time I started
up my PC, I would get an annoying message titled
"windows script host" saying it couldn't find a file relating to a 3rd party application. You can check whether it is a 3rd party app causing this by starting
your PC in safe mode and see if it still gives you the message titled "windows script host". If it doesn't, then it is a 3rd party app causing it and the problem is relatively easy to resolve.
I was able to resolve this as follows:
1. Start in safe mode
(If the message titled "windows script host" doesn't appear, proceed and follow
the remaining steps. If it does still appear then don't proceed and I'm not sure how you should resolve the issue in that case)
2. Run registry editor
3. Search for Lenovo-1423.vbs
4. When found, delete it.
5. Restart PC in normal mode. Problem solved!
Below are detailed instructions below for performing the steps above:
First startup your PC in safemode.
A sure way to enable safe mode (for Windows 7 and Windows 8) is as follows. Run "msconfig", when msconfig is open, go to the boot tab and tick the checkbox that says "safe boot", apply changes then restart PC. It will start in safemode.
Note: to find "msconfig" just hit the windows key and type "msconfig" (without quotes). Then click on it to run it.
Now once in safe mode, run "regedit". To find regedit, press windows key, type "regedit" without quotes, then click on it to run it. The Registry Editor will open.
When it is open, press ctrl+F to open the find window. Type "Lenovo-1423.vbs" then click on "find next" or just hit "Enter" key. It will begin searching the registry. When the search is complete it should come up with a list, one of them should be highlighted
and will have the path,
C:\ProgramData\Lenovo-1423.vbs
Simply right click on it and click on delete. When you delete it, the problem should be resolved, now just run your PC normally again. I.e. not in "safe mode".
To do this, run "msconfig" again by pressing windows key, typing "msconfig" then clicking on it. Go to the boot tab, uncheck the box saying "safe boot". Apply changes then restart your PC. It will start in regular mode and no more annoying message at start
up.
If the problem persists, you can start in safe mode again and run regedit to search for Lenovo-1423.vbs again in case it appears elsewhere in your registry. I doubt it would though.
Good luck to anybody who had a similar problem

Partitioning ruined windows booting

I have installed windows using Bootcamp, but then I created more partitions using Mac OS X.
Now I cannot boot into windows again. The partition is there, but it won't show up when I hold (Options). Only the Mac OS shows up.
I went to System Preferences->Startup Disk and selected Windows to boot, and still won't work.
How can this be fixed ?
Macbook Pro
Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Windows 7 Ultimate.

Happens all the time.
There is a limit to where a Windows boot partition can reside and all the side effects of making changes. ... because you assumed it would work and went "outside the draw by the dots" lines in the Boot Camp Guide.
http:www.apple.com/support/bootcamp has link to PDF guide and support articles.
this is one case where the results are almost always failure. And plan on what to do, when it doesn't work so you can restore - something that even using Mac OS should be seen as mandatory and not to be taken lightly.
"I created more partitions" doesn't help or tell anyone how (shrink, split, expand, used commercial program, used gpart, used a linux tool), as well as created HFS volumes? more Windows NtFS volume? Apple will only say that Boot Camp Assistant is the only supported method to create a Windows partiton (Paragon CampTune can also) doesn't change anything.
Did you use iPartition? I wonder if CampTune can redo/undo.
Clone Mac HFS and undo those changes. Use OS X DVD and Disk Utility as well as any of the programs to clone Mac.
How To clone
Using Cloning as a Backup Strategy
Windows OS has to be on #4 or less partition number (and GPT and HFS as well as EFI partitions have to be accounted for as well, and Windows 7 will normally create its own 100MB "System Reserved" (which is the active boot partition for Windows).
Backup beforehand. Then you can restore and recover.

I was wondring if there is any top free app for cleaning up the computer and make it run faster while booting, on startup and while surfing web. I am using a macbookpro with IOS10.8.5, under chrome,safari,firefox net environment. thanks on yourhelp

I was wondering if there is any top free app for cleaning up the computer from malware, phinishing apps, adware, and othere malicious softwares and make it run faster while booting, on startup and while surfing web. I am using a Macbook pro with IOS10.8.5, under chrome,safari,firefox net environment. thanks on your help

I was wondering if there is any top free app for cleaning up ...
There is no such thing, since the problems you are describing can have various causes. Seeking anything claiming to "clean" your Mac is asking for trouble, since all of those products are scams, whether they are "free" or not.
If you are having trouble with your Mac, describe what it is. Be as specific as possible. For general recommendations read below.
There will always be threats to your information security associated with using any Internet - connected communications tool:
You can mitigate those threats by following commonsense practices
Delegating that responsibility to software is an ineffective defense
Assuming that any product will protect you from those threats is a hazardous attitude that is likely to result in neglecting point #1 above.
OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.
A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":
Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources.
Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
"Questionable sources" include but are not limited to spontaneously appearing web pages or popups, download hosting sites such as C net dot com, Softonic dot com, Soft pedia dot com, Download dot com, Mac Update dot com, or any other site whose revenue is primarily derived from junk product advertisements.
If you need to install software that isn't available from the Mac App Store, obtain it only from legitimate sources authorized by the software's developer.
Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iCloud, iTunes, or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose:Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
Java can be disabled in System Preferences.
Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
The same precaution applies to Adobe Flash Player. Newly discovered Flash vulnerabilities appear almost weekly.
Beware spontaneous popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > check "Block popup windows".
Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but unsolicited popups are commonly used to deceive people into installing unwanted software they would never intentionally install.
Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
If you ever receive a popup window indicating that your Mac is infected with some ick or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
The same goes for a spontaneously appearing dialog insisting that you upgrade your video player right this instant. Such popups are frequently associated with sites that promise to deliver "free" movies or other copyrighted content that is not normally "free".
The more insistent it is that you upgrade or install something, the more likely it is to be a scam. Close the window or tab and forget it.
Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. Most of these attempts are pathetic and are easily recognized, but that hasn't stopped prominent public figures from recently succumbing to this age-old scam.
OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.
Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

Removing Windows boot up.

I recently tried to install Windows Vista Ultimate X64 on my new Imac. I successfully created my Windows partition and installed Vista Ultimate X64 without a problem. When I used the Imac install dvd which had Bootcamp 2.1 on it, it came up with the error 'this computer does not support X64' or words to that effect. To get around that, I browsed the Imac install dvd and installed all the X64 drivers for the various components. This seemed to have worked fine and the Imac booted into Windows without a hitch.
Last night I removed my bootcamp partiton and then erased all the free space on my hard drive.
The problem I have is when I switch on or restart my Imac, it won't boot straight in OSX, it tries to boot straight into Windows. How do I remove the Windows boot info so that it just boots straight back into OSX?
Message was edited by: repoman_1966

Hi and welcome to Discussions,
I assume that you didn't used the Bootcamp Assistant to remove the Windows partition and revert to one OSX partition ?
I also assume that you have now two partitions on your harddisk, one with OSX and one with free space, which was formerly your Windows partition ?
You might use rEFIt http://refit.sourceforge.net/ to get rid of the informations about the Windows partition, which are still in EFI configuration and cause this disorder.
For short term help, while you are in OSX goto System Preferences - Startup Volume and set your OSX partition as the default.
Hope it helps
Stefan

Windows booted on startup without being selected

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