RSS FeedsThe worm resurfaced earlier last month, infecting Windows workstations and servers and causing a variety of problems for users, with infections skyrocketing to 8.9 million PCs by the later half of January 2009.
Showing posts with label Windows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Conficker worm, which caused havoc on Windows PCs in October 2008, came back last month to strike more than 3.5 million PCs in 24 hours under a new name, The Worm, dubbed Conficker, Downadup, or Kido, spreads via a vulnerability that Microsoft patched in October 2008.Once a machine, it sets up an HTTP server and resets a machine's System Restore point to stop administrators from deleting it.The worm contains the usual Trojan package that allows the controller to download new files from their own server.But in an unusual twist, the malware generates hundred of seemingly random domain nams to scan for updates, making it much harder to track the one used by the malware writer.
The worm resurfaced earlier last month, infecting Windows workstations and servers and causing a variety of problems for users, with infections skyrocketing to 8.9 million PCs by the later half of January 2009.
The worm resurfaced earlier last month, infecting Windows workstations and servers and causing a variety of problems for users, with infections skyrocketing to 8.9 million PCs by the later half of January 2009.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Shortly after Windows Vista launch, appeared first gossips about intensive work on a new OS - codenamed Windows Vienna. Seeing the blast that made Windows Vista in delivering completely new user interface, compared to XP, everybody thought that next Windows will have even more differences and will be completely revolutionary. Years passed, Microsoft released first Service Pack for Vista, renamed Windows Vienna to Windows 7 and we all started to wait for the first information about new OS. Now, when Windows 7 Beta is publicly available, we must say that it IS a big step forward: not revolutionary (like Vista after XP), but evolutionary. After all piles of garbage that were thrown at Vista during its lifespan, it is pleasing to see that Windows 7 is not a completely new OS - it is Windows Vista made how it was meant to be. In this review we'd like to describe some new features, compare it to the previous version, and warn users about possible bugs and glitches in Beta.
After Windows Vista launch, appeared several images that appeared to be "first screenshots of upcoming OS from Microsoft". Majority of them were fakes, some of them were just concepts. People started to think that Microsoft will totally revamp User Interface so it will be completely different, so many of them were shocked when first real screenshots hit the web. They were completely indistinguishable from Vista - UI was almost completely the same! There were many differences in the inside, but on the outside it wasn't different from Vista. To prevent people from disappointment, Microsoft launched big press conference, dedicated to the upcoming Windows 7, where all the features were carefully presented and explained. It created big rise of interest, many were anticipating announced "feature complete" Beta. Microsoft plans for admitting only 2.5 million of Beta testers were overthrown with huge amount of users interested in trying new OS, so they stopped the counter and released their Beta for everyone who wants to test it. Of course, we got interested in it too, so we installed it on our spare HDD. Configuration of our test machine is:
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 2.53GHz
2 GB DDR2 RAM @ 1033 MHz
NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT 256 MB
Samsung HDD 230 GB SATA2
So, let's begin our test.
First impressions
After the installation process, which was fast (approximately 25 minutes), we noticed that Microsoft at last made an attractive Boot Screen. After the poorly done Vista loading bar, Windows 7 animations during the boot time are very pleasing. Modern OS must be modern in anything, so this change, while not so significant, shifts the impression from the OS to the positive side. After attractive animation, desktop showed in. After Aurora theme in Windows Vista, made in green / yellow colors, Microsoft shifted to the blue theme. Logon screen looks like water, with rays of light shining from the surface. Thoughts about water confirmed when default wallpaper showed in - it got a pretty fishy in its center. Famous SuperBar, one of the most hyped features of Seven is here, we'll return to it later. Aero effects are the same, same transparent glass window borders, same Windows Flip 3D animations. Icons look a little refreshed; they seem somehow less glossy and more serious. Overall, the UI speed was increased, Windows 7 feels much more responsive than Vista, on the same machine and in the same conditions. But what's new in the next installment of Microsoft OS compared to Vista?
New features
One of the most hyped and anticipated feature is Microsoft's evolution of Windows taskbar, where all open windows minimized to. Now it is called Superbar and it works similar to Mac OS dock. For better understanding, imagine that quick launch panel got combined with taskbar. You still have big application launch buttons, but when you open application, it minimizes into its button. If that application has several minimized windows, they will all minimize to one button, making button look like a pile of icons. Clicking on that pile will bring menu, very similar to that window thumbnails that was shown in Vista while hovering an item in taskbar, with a significant difference - you can close and activate windows by clicking on them. Hovering the mouse over one of them will bring that window to the front, making other windows fully transparent, it will return to the previous state when mouse pointer leaves thumbnail's position. This feature is called Aero Peek and is very useful in deciding which window must be maximized, or, as name tells, for brief look on the page contents.
Other interesting function of Superbar is Jump List, quick menu that is accessed via right clicking an icon. It is unique to every application, and contains some useful elements, which can be selected before launching application. It can be the "recently opened" file list, or some special functions like history of visited web pages or quick access to bookmarks in IE8. Unfortunately, at this moment such jump lists are available only on the built-in applications like Internet Explorer, but it is only a matter of time before such lists will appear in other applications. Some of the applications, like Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer can display progress bars right on the icon, so user can always see the progress of downloading or copying. These functions improve the friendliness of user interface and greatly increase effectiveness of work.
System tray was also greatly reworked. From the pile of unneeded and useless icons it became a fully customizable panel. From now on, user can configure behavior of every icon, show it always or show only notifications. Unneeded icons hide in handy box menu, which is way more comfortable to use than old "arrow-styled" method.
In Windows 7 Microsoft introduced new way to organize windows on the desktop, which is called Aero Snap. It includes many functions, which make window management much more efficient. When user drags a window to the edge of the screen, transparent borders will show what position that window will take, if dropped. Dragging window to the right side maximize it to the right side of your screen, same with the left, dragging to the upper side maximizes window to full screen. Very handy when you need to compare something or when working with several open documents! Shaking the window while dragging it will minimize all other windows to Superbar - an interesting function, when you need to quickly hide all other windows except the one you work with.
Windows Sidebar, while keeping its name, is no longer a sidebar - gadgets are now a part of desktop, and can be placed everywhere on it. Of course you could do that in Vista too, but now they are completely standalone, and can be accessed by right clicking the desktop. Also, very useful feature of new gadgets - they are no longer minimized when you press "Show desktop" button or WIN+D. Unfortunately, not every Vista gadget will work in the new OS, some of them experience unpleasant graphics issues while some are not working at all.
Windows Vista added useful option for virtual folders in User folder - in Windows 7 they moved even further. Microsoft introduced Libraries, so every virtual folder is not a single folder anymore, but a compilation of folders you like. At last they do not limit user to using only one folder for music and one for video - now you can make compilations from whatever folders you like, which leads to greatly increased content management.
Other convenient feature of Seven is Home Group, tool that simplifies network sharing of media files. With it enabled user can easily manage what content should be accessible from other network computers, and what permissions to give. Of course, it can be done manually, however it is much easier with automated tool. It also protects user from accidentally leaving security holes in his network, so only multimedia folders will be shared. Speaking of network features, Windows 7 also simplifies selection of Wireless networks, which are now easily accessed right from network tray icon.
Another hugely hyped feature of Windows 7 is Device Stage, a useful tool to manage external devices. Unlike to previous Windows versions, where external devices needed some third party applications to be recognized in Windows, this time all that work should be done inside the OS. With the especially designed drivers, it should be possible to work with every of your devices in one especially designed for that device window. Microsoft representatives gave an example with mobile phone, which was recognized by Device Stage and had its own control window, which showed basic information about the device (battery state, signal strength) and all the actions that can be made with it, i.e. synchronization etc. Let's hope that every manufacturer will support this feature, because it seems very useful and interesting.
One of the most annoying features in Windows Vista was User Account Control, aka UAC. It was announced like one of the main features of Vista, but it turned out to be a real pain for the users. It asked your permission for doing almost everything, including going to Control Panel or installing / uninstalling applications. It was intended for security purposes, and it indeed helped to make working with PC safer, but many users turned it off because it annoyed them. Folks in Microsoft understood that, and improved UAC a bit. Instead of on / off switch as before, it has a slider that adjusts the "security meter" from total paranoia to complete shutdown. There are four positions, so you can carefully adjust this level for every user.
Interesting option appeared in the User Management, called Safeguard PC. It can be used on simple User accounts by checking the appropriate checkbox. After that, if this user makes some changes during his session, after log off all files and settings will be restored to initial state - very useful for small children that may mess up your computer accidentally changing some options.
Interface and appearance improvements, while some are major, like redesigned taskbar, others are minor, but noticeable. Menus in Control Panel are sliding in and out, which makes it feel way smoother than on Vista. "Computer" screen has an useful option to hide all empty drives, so multi-format card readers will not make a huge list of empty drives - they will appear only if card is inserted. At last that useful Remaining space colored bar show the remaining space on removable drives too, not only on hard disks - very strange that they haven't done it earlier, now it seems much more logical. Other minor improvements were made to the Customization menu, which now is tuned to make customization way easier than on Vista. Some will find useful new wallpaper slide-show feature, which can change wallpapers from selected list in a set time intervals. Good side of all this is that all customization functions, like theme, wallpaper, screensaver and sound scheme settings are brought in one place. Overall the looks of new OS feels much more polished than on the Vista, and this is a very positive sign - Microsoft at last gave attention to the small details, which, when combined together, influence the overall impressions about the OS.
Found bugs
In the process of our testing we found several bugs and glitches, some of them are simply annoying, some were a little more serious. Amazingly, no critical bugs were found - system showed very good stability for the first Beta. In any case, we would list them, to warn all possible users of Windows 7 Beta about them.
The most significant bug is hidden inside the Windows Media Player. If your MP3 files have images written in tags, such as Album Art, WMP chops the first 5 seconds of the file. Unfortunately, this change cannot be undone, so backup your library before synchronizing it with Media Player. Shortly after first reports about this problem showed in, Microsoft released the KB961367 hotfix for this problem, so it is already fixed.
Fortunately, other bugs are much less critical as never so destructive as the first one. If UAC is disabled, gadgets are not working - they work only in Administrator account. So if you use User account and you hate UAC, the only solution is to adjust the UAC level so to the second position, leaving it working on the lowest setting possible. Or wait for MS to fix it in final version; it's all up to user.
Another small and insignificant issue is the size of context menu, which sometimes gets very wide if some context menu options have images. Customization menu sometimes hangs when opening folder with many pictures in it, and sometimes themes are "stuck" so only system reboot will fix them. There exist some other small glitches, but they don't deserve to be reviewed as they are very insignificant.
Conclusions
It is amazing that the amount of critical bugs in Beta is minimal, previous Betas from Microsoft suffered from many critical errors and were very unstable. This time Microsoft did a good job in releasing polished Beta version that is working faster than stable version of Vista - even in the same conditions. Of course, not all software is compatible with Windows 7, however due to it using the same kernel as Vista, almost every program that worked in Vista can be launched in Windows 7 - directly or with help of Compatibility Wizard. In the process of testing we found that almost all software worked, problems occurred with drivers and hardware-based applications only. Developers will need some time to release Windows 7 compatible drivers and programs, and this is normal - all the hard work will be done before the public release of Final RTM version. It is curious that Windows 7 will work on every PC that supported Vista and won't ask for an upgrade, it works better than Vista on the same hardware - amazing results, Microsoft! For now, we have an excellent example of how people should learn on its mistakes - Windows 7 looks and feels like a very polished Windows Vista. It delivers many new features that make the work with OS pleasant quick and comfortable. So let's wait until the end of 2009 to see the final version of this interesting OS.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
11:21 AM
File Under :
Informative,
Windows
a. ok now, what you need to do is to run compmgmt.msc
b. and click on local users and groups.
c. once you've gotten here you need to open up the 'users' folder.
at this point i am walking along with you and notice that there are several
major security holes dealing specifically with the password:
1. double clicking on the any user name allows you a list that looks
something like this:
"user name"
full name: -----------------------
|__________________|
description: -----------------------
|__________________|
--
|_| user must change password at next logon
--
|_| user cannot change password
--
|/| password never expires
--
|_| account is disabled
--
|_| account is locked out
"ok" "cancel" "apply"
ok if you can get past my cheesy drawing, i must ask, did you notice that
the "password never expires" box is checked? if you did, then you may have
realized that this means that you can also uncheck it!
2. if ure paying attention, you'll see that the 'user must change password
at next logon' box is unchecked. if you put a check in this box of course,
when you shut down the system will prompt for a new password!
3. going back to step c.,
right click on any account and notice the dialoge that appears:
set password...
all tasks
delete
rename
properties
help
i think you can handle it from here
ps. i wonder if you can access this data if this stuff is locked to the user
by the admin by going in through the command prompt. i doubt it but if neone
finds a way let me know.
b. and click on local users and groups.
c. once you've gotten here you need to open up the 'users' folder.
at this point i am walking along with you and notice that there are several
major security holes dealing specifically with the password:
1. double clicking on the any user name allows you a list that looks
something like this:
"user name"
full name: -----------------------
|__________________|
description: -----------------------
|__________________|
--
|_| user must change password at next logon
--
|_| user cannot change password
--
|/| password never expires
--
|_| account is disabled
--
|_| account is locked out
"ok" "cancel" "apply"
ok if you can get past my cheesy drawing, i must ask, did you notice that
the "password never expires" box is checked? if you did, then you may have
realized that this means that you can also uncheck it!
2. if ure paying attention, you'll see that the 'user must change password
at next logon' box is unchecked. if you put a check in this box of course,
when you shut down the system will prompt for a new password!
3. going back to step c.,
right click on any account and notice the dialoge that appears:
set password...
all tasks
delete
rename
properties
help
i think you can handle it from here
ps. i wonder if you can access this data if this stuff is locked to the user
by the admin by going in through the command prompt. i doubt it but if neone
finds a way let me know.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
2:40 PM
File Under :
Notepad,
Tips And Tricks,
Windows
You might be using Notepad since long but there are few tricks which are still unknown to you.
There few tricks which you can use in notepad. Well quite old but here is d complete collection
Step 1: Open Notepad
Step 2: Write following line in the notepad.
this app can break
Step 3: Save this file as xxx.txt
Step 4: Close the notepad.
Step 5: Open the file again.
Voilla!!
or
1> Open Notepad
2> Enter four words separated by spaces, wherein the first word has 4 letters, the next two have three letters, and the last word has five letters
3> DON'T hit enter at the end of the line.
4> Save the file.
5> Close Notepad.
6> Reopen Notepad.
7> Open the file you just saved.
or
1> Open a note pad
2> Type Bush hid the facts
3> Save that file,
4> Close it
5> Again open and see...
NOTEPAD "world trade centre trick".. :
Did you know that the flight number of the plane that had hit WTC ...on 9/11 was Q33N ....Open your Notepad in ur computer and type the flight number i.e Q33N... Increase the Font Size to 72, Change the Font to Wingdings. U will be amazed by the findings.
log trick !! make ur Notepad a diary !!
Sometimes we want to insert current data and time, whenever we open the file in the notepad. If you are a lazy person like me, who don’t like to press F5 whenever you open a notepad. Then here is a trick to avoid this. Just add a .LOG in the first line of your text file and close it. Whenever you open the file with that text in the first line in the notepad, it will insert the current date and time at the end of the file. You can start entering your text after that.
WHY?
The reason this happens:
In notepad, any other 4-3-3-5 letter word combo will have the same results. It is all to do with a limitation in Windows. Text files containing Unicode UTF-16-encoded Unicode are supposed to start with a "Byte-Order Mark" (BOM), which is a two-byte flag that tells a reader how the following UTF-16 data is encoded.
1) You are saving to 8-bit Extended ASCII (Look at the Save As / Encoding format)
2) You are reading from 16-bit UNICODE (You guessed it, look at the Save As / Encoding format)
This is why the 18 8-bit characters are being displayed as 9 (obviously not supported by your codepage) 16-bit UNICODE characters
~ cheers ~
Changing Header and Footer
Ever printed the little text you wrote in Notepad? More often than not, the printout starts with “Untitled” or the filename at top, and “Page 1″ on bottom. Want to get rid of it, or change it? Click on File, Page Setup. Get rid of the characters in Header and Footer boxes, and write what you want as Header and Footer. Use the following codes.
&l Left-align the characters that follow
&c Center the characters that follow
&r Right-align the characters that follow
&d Print the current date
&t Print the current time
&f Print the name of the document
&p Print the page number
Print tree root
a. Open NOTEPAD and enter {print tree root}
b. After that hit enter and type C:\windows\system
c. After that hit enter and type {print C:\windows\system\winlog
d. Hit enter and type 4*43″$@[455]3hr4~
e. Then save the file as teekids in C:\windows\system.
There few tricks which you can use in notepad. Well quite old but here is d complete collection
Step 1: Open Notepad
Step 2: Write following line in the notepad.
this app can break
Step 3: Save this file as xxx.txt
Step 4: Close the notepad.
Step 5: Open the file again.
Voilla!!
or
1> Open Notepad
2> Enter four words separated by spaces, wherein the first word has 4 letters, the next two have three letters, and the last word has five letters
3> DON'T hit enter at the end of the line.
4> Save the file.
5> Close Notepad.
6> Reopen Notepad.
7> Open the file you just saved.
or
1> Open a note pad
2> Type Bush hid the facts
3> Save that file,
4> Close it
5> Again open and see...
NOTEPAD "world trade centre trick".. :
Did you know that the flight number of the plane that had hit WTC ...on 9/11 was Q33N ....Open your Notepad in ur computer and type the flight number i.e Q33N... Increase the Font Size to 72, Change the Font to Wingdings. U will be amazed by the findings.
log trick !! make ur Notepad a diary !!
Sometimes we want to insert current data and time, whenever we open the file in the notepad. If you are a lazy person like me, who don’t like to press F5 whenever you open a notepad. Then here is a trick to avoid this. Just add a .LOG in the first line of your text file and close it. Whenever you open the file with that text in the first line in the notepad, it will insert the current date and time at the end of the file. You can start entering your text after that.
WHY?
The reason this happens:
In notepad, any other 4-3-3-5 letter word combo will have the same results. It is all to do with a limitation in Windows. Text files containing Unicode UTF-16-encoded Unicode are supposed to start with a "Byte-Order Mark" (BOM), which is a two-byte flag that tells a reader how the following UTF-16 data is encoded.
1) You are saving to 8-bit Extended ASCII (Look at the Save As / Encoding format)
2) You are reading from 16-bit UNICODE (You guessed it, look at the Save As / Encoding format)
This is why the 18 8-bit characters are being displayed as 9 (obviously not supported by your codepage) 16-bit UNICODE characters
~ cheers ~
Changing Header and Footer
Ever printed the little text you wrote in Notepad? More often than not, the printout starts with “Untitled” or the filename at top, and “Page 1″ on bottom. Want to get rid of it, or change it? Click on File, Page Setup. Get rid of the characters in Header and Footer boxes, and write what you want as Header and Footer. Use the following codes.
&l Left-align the characters that follow
&c Center the characters that follow
&r Right-align the characters that follow
&d Print the current date
&t Print the current time
&f Print the name of the document
&p Print the page number
Print tree root
a. Open NOTEPAD and enter {print tree root}
b. After that hit enter and type C:\windows\system
c. After that hit enter and type {print C:\windows\system\winlog
d. Hit enter and type 4*43″$@[455]3hr4~
e. Then save the file as teekids in C:\windows\system.
1:35 PM
File Under :
Informative,
Windows
How often do you use your keyboards' hotkeys to make things go faster? Did you know that you can minimize all your windows at the same time only with 2 keys combination? If not I suggest you to read further. Hotkeys or keyboard shortcuts are very helpful when you want to do a predefined operation like copying, cutting, managing your desktop windows and so on. There are many hotkeys in windows operating system. Some of them are very handy others in my opinion are only needed if you somehow manage to break your keyboard. So let's go to my top 10 favorite hotkeys. 10 place Ctrl+Alt+Del this combination can save you from lot of trouble, for example when your computer freezes you can open task manager with your hotkey combination and try to terminate it by right clicking on the program and choosing End task. I think this is a combination that every user should know. It was especially helpful during Windows 98 era. Ctrl+Alt+Del combination brings you a Windows Task Manager window where you can manually shut down unresponsive application
9 place Ctrl+Z combination undo every step you've done. If you renamed or moved some file and want to undo that just press the Ctrl button and while keeping it pressed click Z. This brings your file back where it was or renames to original file name. This combination also works by default in various programs such as word, excel, paint, flash, dreamweaver and so on. In some programs you can undo even hundred steps. I can recall one situation when this hotkey combination helped. One of my acquaintance accidentally deleted huge portion of text which he wrote in notepad and began to blame everyone for this, and I said him that he might try Ctrl+Z. And that worked, he saved a ot of time though. 8 place Ctrl+C This combination copies whatever you're selected, it can be text, images or files on your computer. It is faster to press Ctrl+C than right click on the item and wait for the menu to drop in. When you install many programs your right click menu expands almost along whole screen so it becomes difficult to find that copy slice. I also experienced that when you insert obviously damaged cd or dvd into dvd-rom and open by right clicking it to copy some undamaged files in order to save what you can the cd becomes unresponsive. Sometimes you can avoid that by just selecting files and using this hotkey. 7 place Ctrl+A combination selects all the text in the working area. It can be notepad, word document or webpage. This is convenient if the text large and in order to select everything you should scroll up and down. 6 place F2 is a rename hotkey in windows. You don't have to right click on it. There is another way to rename files by selecting file you want to rename and clicking one more time on it, but if you're in a hurry you could easily do double click and windows recognizes this as a signal to open the file. 5 place Ctrl+X cuts selected element. This combination also speeds things up and you don't have right click. Just simply select file(-s) you want to cut and press Ctrl+X. After that you notice that images of those files becomes obscured. 4 place Drag with Ctrl. When you drag files between open windows you move them from one location to another, but if you want to copy them press Ctrl and drag, this leaves original files in their place and copies in new location. 3 place Ctrl+V. It performs paste operation and also speeds up your work with file management. 2 place Alt+Tab. This is very decent hotkey when you have many windows open. By pressing Alt and Tab you could quickly navigate through open windows and go to desired application. Keep clicking on Tab button until your application is framed, then release Alt and here you are. 1 place Ctrl+Alt+YOURBUTTON This is my favorite hotkey because you create it yourself. This hotkey can launch any program which is in your start menu or shortcut on desktop. I'll show you how to create your own hotkey for launching winamp: Firstly locate where is your winamp shortcut and right click on it. Then go to properties and press mouse on shortcut key line
then type 1 letter (for example W) which you can easily remember. Press Apply and Ok buttons to save your hotkey. Now whenever you want to start winamp just press Ctrl+Alt+W That is 10 hotkeys that I often use, you probably knew some of them but I want emphasize that in order to do things quickly you must learn to work not only with your mouse but keyboard also.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
2:11 PM
File Under :
Tips And Tricks,
Windows
When working on your PC, having Word documents or webpages open means that the pages get loaded into the RAM, to save RAM Windows tends to put various files into your Page File (Like a cache system). Microsoft has left an option to clear out the Pagefile on shutdown off as default, here is the way to switch it on. Take note, this increases shutdown time.
1. Start Regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
3. Select ClearPageFileAtShutdown from the list on the right.
4. Right on it and select Modify.
5. Change the value to 1 to enable.
6. Reboot your computer.
1. Start Regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
3. Select ClearPageFileAtShutdown from the list on the right.
4. Right on it and select Modify.
5. Change the value to 1 to enable.
6. Reboot your computer.
2:11 PM
File Under :
Tips And Tricks,
Win 2000,
Win NT,
Windows
Who has ever won to Minesweeper? If you’re tired of losing all the time you can try this nice cheat that will basically reveals mines:
1. Start Minesweeper,
2. Type “xyzzy” without the quotes,
3. Hit Shift and Enter at the same time,
4. Minimize all application windows that hide the desktop. The uppermost pixel in the top left corner of your desktop will turn black when you mouse over a mine, and white when it’s safe to click.
This tip also works with Windows 2000 & Windows NT 4.0.
1. Start Minesweeper,
2. Type “xyzzy” without the quotes,
3. Hit Shift and Enter at the same time,
4. Minimize all application windows that hide the desktop. The uppermost pixel in the top left corner of your desktop will turn black when you mouse over a mine, and white when it’s safe to click.
This tip also works with Windows 2000 & Windows NT 4.0.
1:18 PM
File Under :
Informative,
Shortcut,
Tips And Tricks,
Windows
Do you have a folder to which you want instant access from anywhere on your computer? For example, if you want the My Music folder to pop up while Internet Explorer or Word is maximized, follow these steps:
* Select the folder in Windows Explorer.
* Create a shortcut, and place it on the desktop. (You create a shortcut by opening the folder, pointing to New on the File menu, then clicking Shortcut. Drag the shortcut to your desktop.)
* Right–click the new shortcut, and then click Properties.
* In the Properties dialog box, click the Shortcut tab, and in the Shortcut key box, enter a Control key combination or a Control–Shift key combination, (that is, Ctrl+Alt+M or Ctrl+SHIFT+M when M is for music), and then click OK.
Anytime you hit the key combination you specified, your folder will open, even when other programs are maximized! This tip can be applied to folders, programs, and text file shortcuts that are placed on the desktop.
* Select the folder in Windows Explorer.
* Create a shortcut, and place it on the desktop. (You create a shortcut by opening the folder, pointing to New on the File menu, then clicking Shortcut. Drag the shortcut to your desktop.)
* Right–click the new shortcut, and then click Properties.
* In the Properties dialog box, click the Shortcut tab, and in the Shortcut key box, enter a Control key combination or a Control–Shift key combination, (that is, Ctrl+Alt+M or Ctrl+SHIFT+M when M is for music), and then click OK.
Anytime you hit the key combination you specified, your folder will open, even when other programs are maximized! This tip can be applied to folders, programs, and text file shortcuts that are placed on the desktop.
1:34 AM
File Under :
Informative,
Windows
Earlier this week we reported that there was an issue which was causing news links to open up in a new window. This has been resolved, and links now open in the current window. For those of you who prefer to open up links in a new tab or window, you can do so using the following options:
* Right click on the link and select “open in new window” or “open in new tab” from the menu
* Use shift-click to open up the link in a new window
* Use ctrl-click to open up the link in a new tab (Firefox and Internet Explorer 7)
* Right click on the link and select “open in new window” or “open in new tab” from the menu
* Use shift-click to open up the link in a new window
* Use ctrl-click to open up the link in a new tab (Firefox and Internet Explorer 7)
1:27 AM
File Under :
Informative,
Windows
Under HKCU/ControlPanel/Notifications find the following keys for Email and Text messages:
A877d65Axxxxxxx
A877d65Bxxxxxxx
Also find Key 15F11F90xxxx for reminders.
Copy the Options value from the Reminders key and overwrite the options value in both email and text message keys with this value (1073741853)
Once you do this, go to start - settings - sounds and notifications - notifications.
under events, select new email message OR new text message and you’ll notice that th repeat option that was grayed out is now enabled and can be selected
A877d65Axxxxxxx
A877d65Bxxxxxxx
Also find Key 15F11F90xxxx for reminders.
Copy the Options value from the Reminders key and overwrite the options value in both email and text message keys with this value (1073741853)
Once you do this, go to start - settings - sounds and notifications - notifications.
under events, select new email message OR new text message and you’ll notice that th repeat option that was grayed out is now enabled and can be selected
Navigating through menus to get to the Control Panel options can be tedious. Here’s a fast way to get to Power Options if part of the desktop is visible.
* Right-click the desktop and choose Properties.
* In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Screen Save tab and click Power.
And for command prompt aficionados, here’s an even quicker method. At a command prompt, type powercfg.cpl.
* Right-click the desktop and choose Properties.
* In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Screen Save tab and click Power.
And for command prompt aficionados, here’s an even quicker method. At a command prompt, type powercfg.cpl.
1:25 AM
File Under :
Tips And Tricks,
Windows
To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, open Regedit (Start -> Run -> Regedit) and go to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name “Recycle Bin” to whatever you want (don’t type any quotes).
and change the name “Recycle Bin” to whatever you want (don’t type any quotes).
1:25 AM
File Under :
Informative,
Tips And Tricks,
Windows
When you download photos from your digital camera, they often have unrecognizable names. You can rename several similar files at once with the following procedure. This also works for renaming other types of files.
To rename a series of files
1. Open the My Pictures folder. (Click Start, and then click My Pictures.) Or open another folder containing files that you want to rename.
2. Select the files you want to rename. If the files you want are not adjacent in the file list, press and hold CTRL, and then click each item to select it.
3. On the File menu, click Rename.
4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER.
All of the files in the series will be named in sequence using the new name you type. For example, if you type Birthday, the first will be named Birthday and subsequent files in the series will be named Birthday (1), Birthday (2), and so on. To specify the starting number for the series, type the starting number in parentheses after the new file name. The files in the series will be numbered in sequence starting with the number you type. For example, if you type Birthday (10), the other files will be named Birthday (11), Birthday (12), and so on.
To rename a series of files
1. Open the My Pictures folder. (Click Start, and then click My Pictures.) Or open another folder containing files that you want to rename.
2. Select the files you want to rename. If the files you want are not adjacent in the file list, press and hold CTRL, and then click each item to select it.
3. On the File menu, click Rename.
4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER.
All of the files in the series will be named in sequence using the new name you type. For example, if you type Birthday, the first will be named Birthday and subsequent files in the series will be named Birthday (1), Birthday (2), and so on. To specify the starting number for the series, type the starting number in parentheses after the new file name. The files in the series will be numbered in sequence starting with the number you type. For example, if you type Birthday (10), the other files will be named Birthday (11), Birthday (12), and so on.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
10:30 AM
File Under :
Broadband,
Hardware And Networking,
Windows,
XP
This is for broad band connections, though it might work for dial up.
* Make sure your logged on as actually “Administrator”.
* Start->Run->type gpedit.msc
* Expand the “Local Computer Policy” branch.
* Expand the “Administrative Templates” branch.
* Expand the “Network Branch”.
* Highlight the “QoS Packet Scheduler” in left window.
* In right window double-click the “Limit Reservable Bandwidth” setting.
* On setting tab check the “Enabled” item.
* Where it says “Bandwidth limit %” change it to read 0.
Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot. This is more of a “counter what XP does” thing. In other words, programs can request up to 20% of the bandwidth be reserved for them, even with QoS disabled.
* Make sure your logged on as actually “Administrator”.
* Start->Run->type gpedit.msc
* Expand the “Local Computer Policy” branch.
* Expand the “Administrative Templates” branch.
* Expand the “Network Branch”.
* Highlight the “QoS Packet Scheduler” in left window.
* In right window double-click the “Limit Reservable Bandwidth” setting.
* On setting tab check the “Enabled” item.
* Where it says “Bandwidth limit %” change it to read 0.
Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot. This is more of a “counter what XP does” thing. In other words, programs can request up to 20% of the bandwidth be reserved for them, even with QoS disabled.
10:17 AM
File Under :
Informative,
Win Vista,
Windows
The list of commands available in the command line shell for Windows Vista is similar to that for Windows XP but with some additions. The commands and a brief explanation of their functions is given.
Several commands are now in the standard list that were formerly available only in Support Tools or the Server 2003 Tools. For example, Robocopy from Server 2003 is now included. There are also some new commands and they are indicated with an asterisk in the list below.
1. ASSOC Displays or modifies file extension associations.
2. ATTRIB Displays or changes file attributes.
3. BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
4. *BCDEDIT Sets properties in boot database to control boot loading.
5. CACLS Displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files.
6. CALL Calls one batch program from another.
7. CD Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
8. CHCP Displays or sets the active code page number.
9. CHDIR Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
10. CHKDSK Checks a disk and displays a status report.
11. CHKNTFS Displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.
12. CLS Clears the screen.
13. CMD Starts a new instance of the Windows command interpreter.
14. COLOR Sets the default console foreground and background colors.
15. COMP Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
16. COMPACT Displays or alters the compression of files on NTFS partitions.
17. CONVERT Converts FAT volumes to NTFS. You cannot convert the current drive.
18. COPY Copies one or more files to another location.
19. DATE Displays or sets the date.
20. DEL Deletes one or more files.
21. DIR Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
22. DISKCOMP Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
23. DISKCOPY Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
24. DISKPART Displays or configures Disk Partition properties.
25. DOSKEY Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and creates macros.
26. DRIVERQUERY Displays current device driver status and properties.
27. ECHO Displays messages, or turns command echoing on or off.
28. ENDLOCAL Ends localization of environment changes in a batch file.
29. ERASE Deletes one or more files.
30. EXIT Quits the CMD.EXE program (command interpreter).
31. FC Compares two files or sets of files, and displays the differences between them.
32. FIND Searches for a text string in a file or files.
33. FINDSTR Searches for strings in files.
34. FOR Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.
35. FORMAT Formats a disk for use with Windows.
36. FSUTIL Displays or configures the file system properties.
37. FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.
38. GOTO Directs the Windows command interpreter to a labeled line in a batch program.
39. GPRESULT Displays Group Policy information for machine or user.
40. GRAFTABL Enables Windows to display an extended character set in graphics mode.
41. HELP Provides Help information for Windows commands.
42. *ICACLS Display, modify, backup, or restore ACLs for files and directories.
43. IF Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
44. LABEL Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a disk.
45. MD Creates a directory.
46. MKDIR Creates a directory.
47. *MKLINK Creates Symbolic Links and Hard Links
48. MODE Configures a system device.
49. MORE Displays output one screen at a time.
50. MOVE Moves one or more files from one directory to another directory.
51. OPENFILES Displays files opened by remote users for a file share.
52. PATH Displays or sets a search path for executable files.
53. PAUSE Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a message.
54. POPD Restores the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD.
55. PRINT Prints a text file.
56. PROMPT Changes the Windows command prompt.
57. PUSHD Saves the current directory then changes it.
58. RD Removes a directory.
59. RECOVER Recovers readable information from a bad or defective disk.
60. REM Records comments (remarks) in batch files or CONFIG.SYS.
61. REN Renames a file or files.
62. RENAME Renames a file or files.
63. REPLACE Replaces files.
64. RMDIR Removes a directory.
65. ROBOCOPY Advanced utility to copy files and directory trees
66. SET Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.
67. SETLOCAL Begins localization of environment changes in a batch file.
68. SC Displays or configures services (background processes).
69. SCHTASKS Schedules commands and programs to run on a computer.
70. SHIFT Shifts the position of replaceable parameters in batch files.
71. SHUTDOWN Allows proper local or remote shutdown of machine.
72. SORT Sorts input.
73. START Starts a separate window to run a specified program or command.
74. SUBST Associates a path with a drive letter.
75. SYSTEMINFO Displays machine specific properties and configuration.
76. TASKLIST Displays all currently running tasks including services.
77. TASKKILL Kill or stop a running process or application.
78. TIME Displays or sets the system time.
79. TITLE Sets the window title for a CMD.EXE session.
80. TREE Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or path.
81. TYPE Displays the contents of a text file.
82. VER Displays the Windows version.
83. VERIFY Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk.
84. VOL Displays a disk volume label and serial number.
85. XCOPY Copies files and directory trees.
Several commands are now in the standard list that were formerly available only in Support Tools or the Server 2003 Tools. For example, Robocopy from Server 2003 is now included. There are also some new commands and they are indicated with an asterisk in the list below.
1. ASSOC Displays or modifies file extension associations.
2. ATTRIB Displays or changes file attributes.
3. BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
4. *BCDEDIT Sets properties in boot database to control boot loading.
5. CACLS Displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files.
6. CALL Calls one batch program from another.
7. CD Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
8. CHCP Displays or sets the active code page number.
9. CHDIR Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
10. CHKDSK Checks a disk and displays a status report.
11. CHKNTFS Displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.
12. CLS Clears the screen.
13. CMD Starts a new instance of the Windows command interpreter.
14. COLOR Sets the default console foreground and background colors.
15. COMP Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
16. COMPACT Displays or alters the compression of files on NTFS partitions.
17. CONVERT Converts FAT volumes to NTFS. You cannot convert the current drive.
18. COPY Copies one or more files to another location.
19. DATE Displays or sets the date.
20. DEL Deletes one or more files.
21. DIR Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
22. DISKCOMP Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
23. DISKCOPY Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
24. DISKPART Displays or configures Disk Partition properties.
25. DOSKEY Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and creates macros.
26. DRIVERQUERY Displays current device driver status and properties.
27. ECHO Displays messages, or turns command echoing on or off.
28. ENDLOCAL Ends localization of environment changes in a batch file.
29. ERASE Deletes one or more files.
30. EXIT Quits the CMD.EXE program (command interpreter).
31. FC Compares two files or sets of files, and displays the differences between them.
32. FIND Searches for a text string in a file or files.
33. FINDSTR Searches for strings in files.
34. FOR Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.
35. FORMAT Formats a disk for use with Windows.
36. FSUTIL Displays or configures the file system properties.
37. FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.
38. GOTO Directs the Windows command interpreter to a labeled line in a batch program.
39. GPRESULT Displays Group Policy information for machine or user.
40. GRAFTABL Enables Windows to display an extended character set in graphics mode.
41. HELP Provides Help information for Windows commands.
42. *ICACLS Display, modify, backup, or restore ACLs for files and directories.
43. IF Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
44. LABEL Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a disk.
45. MD Creates a directory.
46. MKDIR Creates a directory.
47. *MKLINK Creates Symbolic Links and Hard Links
48. MODE Configures a system device.
49. MORE Displays output one screen at a time.
50. MOVE Moves one or more files from one directory to another directory.
51. OPENFILES Displays files opened by remote users for a file share.
52. PATH Displays or sets a search path for executable files.
53. PAUSE Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a message.
54. POPD Restores the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD.
55. PRINT Prints a text file.
56. PROMPT Changes the Windows command prompt.
57. PUSHD Saves the current directory then changes it.
58. RD Removes a directory.
59. RECOVER Recovers readable information from a bad or defective disk.
60. REM Records comments (remarks) in batch files or CONFIG.SYS.
61. REN Renames a file or files.
62. RENAME Renames a file or files.
63. REPLACE Replaces files.
64. RMDIR Removes a directory.
65. ROBOCOPY Advanced utility to copy files and directory trees
66. SET Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.
67. SETLOCAL Begins localization of environment changes in a batch file.
68. SC Displays or configures services (background processes).
69. SCHTASKS Schedules commands and programs to run on a computer.
70. SHIFT Shifts the position of replaceable parameters in batch files.
71. SHUTDOWN Allows proper local or remote shutdown of machine.
72. SORT Sorts input.
73. START Starts a separate window to run a specified program or command.
74. SUBST Associates a path with a drive letter.
75. SYSTEMINFO Displays machine specific properties and configuration.
76. TASKLIST Displays all currently running tasks including services.
77. TASKKILL Kill or stop a running process or application.
78. TIME Displays or sets the system time.
79. TITLE Sets the window title for a CMD.EXE session.
80. TREE Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or path.
81. TYPE Displays the contents of a text file.
82. VER Displays the Windows version.
83. VERIFY Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk.
84. VOL Displays a disk volume label and serial number.
85. XCOPY Copies files and directory trees.
If you are getting this error message while you are attempting to upgrade to Windows 2000 or Windows XP from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME running FAT32 please try the below recommendations.
1. Boot the computer with a Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME bootable diskette.
2. At the A:\> prompt type:
sys c:
3. After pressing enter you should receive the "System Transferred" message. Once this has been completed remove the floppy diskette and reboot the computer.
1. Boot the computer with a Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME bootable diskette.
2. At the A:\> prompt type:
sys c:
3. After pressing enter you should receive the "System Transferred" message. Once this has been completed remove the floppy diskette and reboot the computer.
10:14 AM
File Under :
Faqs,
Informative,
Windows,
XP
NTLDR is Missing.
Issue:
NTLDR is Missing.
Related errors:
Below are the full error messages that may be seen when the computer is booting.
NTLDR is Missing
Press any key to restart
Boot: Couldn't find NTLDR
Please insert another disk
NTLDR is missing
Press Ctrl Alt Del to Restart
Cause:
1. Computer is booting from a non-bootable source.
2. Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.
3. Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file.
4. Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file.
5. Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is using FAT32.
6. New hard disk drive being added.
7. Corrupt boot sector / master boot record.
8. Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
9. Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable.
Solutions:
Computer is booting from a non-bootable source
Many times this error is caused when the computer is attempting to boot from a non-bootable floppy disk or CD-ROM. First verify that no floppy diskette is in the computer, unless you are attempting to boot from a diskette.
If you are attempting to boot from a floppy diskette and are receiving this error message it is likely that the diskette does not have all the necessary files and/or is corrupt.
If you are attempting to install Windows XP or Windows 2000 and are receiving this error message as the computer is booting verify that your computer BIOS has the proper boot settings. For example, if you are attempting to run the install from the CD-ROM make sure the CD-ROM is the first boot device, and not the hard disk drive.
Second, when the computer is booting you should receive the below prompt.
Press any key to boot from the CD
Important: When you see this message press any key such as the Enter key immediately, otherwise it will try booting from the hard drive and likely get the NTLDR error again.
Note: If you are not receiving the above message and your BIOS boot options are set properly it's also possible that your CD-ROM drive may not be booting from the CD-ROM properly. Verify the jumpers are set properly on the CD-ROM drive. Additional information about checking the CD-ROM drive connections can be found on document CH000213.
Additional information: This error has also been known to occur when a memory stick is in a card reader and the computer is attempting to boot from it. If you have any type of card reader or flash reader make sure that no memory stick is inside the computer.
Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS
Verify that your computer hard disk drive is properly setup in the BIOS / CMOS setup. Improper settings can cause this error.
Windows 2000 users
If your computer is using Microsoft Windows 2000 and you are encountering the NTLDR error. Create the below boot.ini file on the floppy diskette drive.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
Copy the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files from another computer using the same Operating System. Both of these files are located in the root directory of the primary hard disk drive. For example, C:\NTLDR and C:\NTDETECT.COM should be the locations of these files on many computers.
Once these files have been copied to a floppy diskette reboot the computer and copy the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files to the root directory of the primary hard disk drive. Below is an example of what commonly should be performed from the A:\> drive.
copy ntldr c:
copy ntdetect.com c:
After the above two files have been copied, remove the floppy diskette and reboot the computer.
Windows XP users
1. Insert the Windows XP bootable CD into the computer.
2. When prompted to press any key to boot from the CD, press any key.
3. Once in the Windows XP setup menu press the "R" key to repair Windows.
4. Log into your Windows installation by pressing the "1" key and pressing enter.
5. You will then be prompted for your administrator password, enter that password.
6. Copy the below two files to the root directory of the primary hard disk. In the below example we are copying these files from the CD-ROM drive letter "E". This letter may be different on your computer.
copy e:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy e:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\
7. Once both of these files have been successfully copied, remove the CD from the computer and reboot.
Issue:
NTLDR is Missing.
Related errors:
Below are the full error messages that may be seen when the computer is booting.
NTLDR is Missing
Press any key to restart
Boot: Couldn't find NTLDR
Please insert another disk
NTLDR is missing
Press Ctrl Alt Del to Restart
Cause:
1. Computer is booting from a non-bootable source.
2. Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.
3. Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file.
4. Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file.
5. Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is using FAT32.
6. New hard disk drive being added.
7. Corrupt boot sector / master boot record.
8. Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
9. Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable.
Solutions:
Computer is booting from a non-bootable source
Many times this error is caused when the computer is attempting to boot from a non-bootable floppy disk or CD-ROM. First verify that no floppy diskette is in the computer, unless you are attempting to boot from a diskette.
If you are attempting to boot from a floppy diskette and are receiving this error message it is likely that the diskette does not have all the necessary files and/or is corrupt.
If you are attempting to install Windows XP or Windows 2000 and are receiving this error message as the computer is booting verify that your computer BIOS has the proper boot settings. For example, if you are attempting to run the install from the CD-ROM make sure the CD-ROM is the first boot device, and not the hard disk drive.
Second, when the computer is booting you should receive the below prompt.
Press any key to boot from the CD
Important: When you see this message press any key such as the Enter key immediately, otherwise it will try booting from the hard drive and likely get the NTLDR error again.
Note: If you are not receiving the above message and your BIOS boot options are set properly it's also possible that your CD-ROM drive may not be booting from the CD-ROM properly. Verify the jumpers are set properly on the CD-ROM drive. Additional information about checking the CD-ROM drive connections can be found on document CH000213.
Additional information: This error has also been known to occur when a memory stick is in a card reader and the computer is attempting to boot from it. If you have any type of card reader or flash reader make sure that no memory stick is inside the computer.
Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS
Verify that your computer hard disk drive is properly setup in the BIOS / CMOS setup. Improper settings can cause this error.
Windows 2000 users
If your computer is using Microsoft Windows 2000 and you are encountering the NTLDR error. Create the below boot.ini file on the floppy diskette drive.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
Copy the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files from another computer using the same Operating System. Both of these files are located in the root directory of the primary hard disk drive. For example, C:\NTLDR and C:\NTDETECT.COM should be the locations of these files on many computers.
Once these files have been copied to a floppy diskette reboot the computer and copy the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files to the root directory of the primary hard disk drive. Below is an example of what commonly should be performed from the A:\> drive.
copy ntldr c:
copy ntdetect.com c:
After the above two files have been copied, remove the floppy diskette and reboot the computer.
Windows XP users
1. Insert the Windows XP bootable CD into the computer.
2. When prompted to press any key to boot from the CD, press any key.
3. Once in the Windows XP setup menu press the "R" key to repair Windows.
4. Log into your Windows installation by pressing the "1" key and pressing enter.
5. You will then be prompted for your administrator password, enter that password.
6. Copy the below two files to the root directory of the primary hard disk. In the below example we are copying these files from the CD-ROM drive letter "E". This letter may be different on your computer.
copy e:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy e:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\
7. Once both of these files have been successfully copied, remove the CD from the computer and reboot.
12:10 AM
File Under :
Informative,
Windows,
XP
Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.
1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.
2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.
3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.
4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.
The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.
Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.
Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.
5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.
6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.
7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.
8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.
10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.
11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.
12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.
14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.
15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.
16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.
17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.
18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.
19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.
20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.
21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.
22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.
23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.
Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.
1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.
2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.
3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.
4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.
The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.
Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.
Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.
5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.
6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.
7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.
8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.
10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.
11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.
12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.
14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.
15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.
16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.
17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.
18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.
19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.
20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.
21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.
22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.
23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.
Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
2:22 PM
File Under :
Tips And Tricks,
Windows,
XP
Windows XP can display in each device properties dialog box a supplementary tab named 'details' that lists advanced information about the current device that is mainly dedicated to administrators or developpers. To permanently display the 'details' tab in each device properties dialog box of the device manager, use the following method:
Click Start/Control Panel,
Double click 'System',
Click the Advanced tab,
Click 'Environment Variables',
Locate the 'System variables' frame,
Click New,
In the Name label, type: "DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS"
In the Value label type 1 and then click OK, OK and OK,
Now in open the device manager, double click a device of your choice and look: you have a new details tab with tons of informations to dig in.
Click Start/Control Panel,
Double click 'System',
Click the Advanced tab,
Click 'Environment Variables',
Locate the 'System variables' frame,
Click New,
In the Name label, type: "DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS"
In the Value label type 1 and then click OK, OK and OK,
Now in open the device manager, double click a device of your choice and look: you have a new details tab with tons of informations to dig in.
2:21 PM
File Under :
Tips And Tricks,
Windows,
XP
A very important new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This basically means that all boot files are placed next to each other on the disk drive to allow for faster booting. By default this option is enabled but some upgrade users have reported that it isn't on their setup.
1. Start Regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
3. Select Enable from the list on the right.
4. Right on it and select Modify.
5. Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable.
6. Reboot your computer.
1. Start Regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
3. Select Enable from the list on the right.
4. Right on it and select Modify.
5. Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable.
6. Reboot your computer.
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