No matter what operating system you are using, be it Windows, Mac,
or Linux, you will come across issues that prevent the smooth operation
of your operating system. Fortunately, a handful of quality, free
applications are available to fix common Windows problems.
In no particular order, here are the 10 best utilities you will ever need to troubleshoot and fix common Windows 7 issues. Many of these tools may help you fix Windows 8 issues as well.
1. System File Checker:
One of the best and least used features of Windows. This command line
tool can fix missing or corrupted system file errors, . We recommend you
use this tool before using any other third-party software fox fixing Windows errors. To know how to launch and use this command line utility, read our how to repair Windows 7 system files guide.
2. Troubleshooters: Both Windows 7 and Windows 8 include over 20 quality troubleshooting tools to automatically troubleshoot and fix common computer problems.
You can find the list of the troubleshooters included in your version
of Windows by navigating to Control Panel\All Control Panel
Items\Troubleshooting. You can find more info about these in our troubleshooting Windows 7 using built-in troubleshooters guide.
3. FixWin:
A must have utility. FixWin lets you fix over 50 common Windows Vista
and Windows 7 issues. For instance, you can take the help of this
utility when the Recycle Bin icon is missing from the desktop, games
explorer is not working, explorer.exe won’t start, and Windows Media Player
doesn’t show slideshow properly. Fixes are also available to enable
Task Manager, Command Prompt, Registry Editor, and other Windows
features disabled virus or malware.
Review and download page
4: Fix WMP:
Free standalone utility to re-register Windows Media Player dll and ocx
files. These dll and ocx files are crucial for smooth operation of
Windows Media Player.
Review and download page
5. Microsoft Fix It: Hundreds of free Fix It solutions are available to download from Microsoft. Fix It solutions
help you automatically diagnose and repair problems. Visit the official
Fix It page and search for your issue and then download the Fix It
solution.
6. Safe Mode Fixer: We all know how useful Windows Safe Mode
is. If you can’t boot into Safe Mode or having any other issues with
Safe Mode then Safe Mode Fixer is the right utility to fix them.
7. Fix IE: Having issues with your Internet Explorer browser? No problem. Download and run FixIE
utility to quickly fix your IE browser issues. This portable tool
re-registers all dll and ocx files, files which are crucial for the
proper functioning of Internet Explorer.
Review and download page
8. Complete Internet Repair:
Another must have utility for Windows users. Complete Internet Repair
is capable of fixing DNS lookup problem, network connectivity problems,
pop-up errors, Windows update, and other networking issues. This utility
also helps you reset Internet Protocol, flush DNS resolver cache, renew
internet connections, reset Windows Firewall configuration and more.
9. CD-DVD Icon Repair:
Is your CD/DVD drive missing from Windows 7 Explorer? If so, try out
this portable tool. The tool can also reset autoplay settings. You can
also use this free utility to update your optical drive firmware.
10: Fix MSE: Microsoft Security Essentials is the best free and one of the widely used antivirus software on Windows 7
OS. Fix MSE tries to fix most of Microsoft Security Essentials issues.
This tool is a standalone tool and doesn’t require an installation.
