Vista Revisited » Tip’s

Basic Windows Tips part 2

Kevin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:17:30 +0000

Here are a few more basic Windows tip’s

1. To take a simple screen shot of your whole desktop press the Print Scrn button, open your favorite image editor or MS Paint and use Ctrl + V to paste it in.

2. To take a screen shot of just you active window use Alt + Print Scrn.

3. To get to the file directories on your PC, simply right-click the Start button and choose “Explore”

4. To change the view of a folder’s contents in a directory, click on the View menu and, for example, choose “Details”. This allows you to sort the files by Name, Type, or Size (by clicking on the column heading).

5. To see the details of a specific file, however the cursor over it for a second or so and the details will pop up in a small box.

6. You can change the time period allowed for two mouse clicks to be recognised as a double click. Click the Start Orb and type “mouse” when Mouse appears in the search results press enter. In the Mouse properties move the slider for Double click speed. Click Ok

7. Alt + Backspace – will undo any typing you have just completed from a single letter to a paragraph and on.

8. To print only part of a web page, highlight the part you want and and press Ctrl + P and choose Selection in the print range.

9. To copy highlighted text press Ctrl + C, to paste text press Ctrl + V.

10. Hit the “Enter ” key after filling out a box such as the google search box, rather than grabbing for the mouse to click “Search”.

Some Basic Windows Tips

Kevin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:24:02 +0000

Here are a few basic tips for Windows users, some you may know others maybe a surprise. Lets dive right in.

1. Instead of dragging your mouse across a word to select it you can double click it in any document, Email or web page to highlight it, then you can cut, copy or do a search on it. Triple clicking will highlight the whole paragraph.

2. To enlarge the text on any Web page, press Ctrl and the plus or minus keys. You can also press the Ctrl key and use the scroll wheel on your mouse.

3. You don’t have to type “http://www.” into your web browser. Just type the name, like vistarevisited.com or Google.com for example.

4. You can press the Space bar to scroll down a Web page one screen at a time. And press the Shift key + the Space bar to scroll back up.

5. When using your web browser pressing the F11 key will give you the full screen browsing.

6. To search a website for a certain word or phrase press Ctrl + F to open the find dialog box.

7. You can open the Start menu by pressing the key with the Windows logo on it.

8. To quickly get to your desktop press the Windows key + D

9. To quickly undo mistakes in many Windows programs press the Ctrl key + Z

10. Switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab keys.

11. When you’re filling in text boxes on a Web page (like City, State, Zip), press the Tab key to jump from box to box, And press the Shift key + the Tab key to go backwards through the boxes.

Lets keep it going and add your own in the comments.

Get a List of all Installed Programs in Vista from your Command Line

Kevin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:33:51 +0000

Here’s a quick way to list all the programs installed on your computer using the command line interface. You can also export the list to an HTML or text file for printing.

The first thing we need to do is open a command Prompt.

Click the Start Orb and type CMD in the search box.
Click cmd.exe at the top of the search results.
At the Cmd prompt type wmic and hit enter.
You will now see wmic:root\cli>Type product get name,version hit enter.

Now after a few moments all you’re installed programs with their version numbers will be listed.

If you want to export the list to a HTML file, type /output:c:\ProgramList.htm product get name,version
or if you prefer a text file type /output:c:\ProgramList.txt product get name,version

You can also change the name and location of the file by replacing “c” and Programlist.txt to whatever you prefer.

Use Shell Folders in Vista to Quickly Navagate to System Folders

Kevin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Remember the last time you needed to access one of your system folders, maybe your Music or Pictures or any other system folder. You had to click Computer then navagate through all that mess of folders untill you found the right one.

Well here’s a way to quickly get to any system folder. Just click the Start Orb > Run. In the Run dialog box type shell:foldername with foldername being the folder you want to view. Example shell:My Music click OK.

Below are some common Vista shell folders.

Multimedia:

shell:My Music
Shows the user Music folder.

shell:CommonMusic
Shows the Public Music folder.

shell:My Pictures
Shows the user Pictures folder.

shell:CommonPictures
Shows the Public Pictures folder.

shell:SamplePictures
Shows the Sample Pictures folder.

shell:SamplePlaylists
Shows the Sample Playlists folder.

shell:Original Images
Shows the folder containing the original versions of images modified by Windows Photo Gallery.

shell:PhotoAlbums
Shows the user Pictures\Slide Shows folder.

shell:My Video
Shows the user Video folder.

shell:CommonVideo
Shows the Public Video folder.

Internet Explorer:

shell:Cache
Shows the Temporary Internet Files folder.

shell:Cookies
Shows the Internet Explorer Cookies folder.

shell:Favorites
Shows the Internet Explorer Favorites folder.

shell:InternetFolder
Shows Internet Explorer.

Applications:

shell:Administrative Tools
Shows shortcuts to the applets in your Control Panel\Administrative Tools folder.

shell:Common Administrative Tools
Shows shortcuts to the Public applets in your Control Panel\Administrative Tools folder.

shell:AddNewProgramsFolder
Shows the Control Panel “Install a program from the network” applet.

shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder
shows the Control Panel “Uninstall or change a program” applet.

shell:ConnectionsFolder
Shows the list of Network Connections.

shell:ControlPanelFolder
Shows Control Panel.

shell:SearchHomeFolder
Shows the Windows Vista Search tool.

System Folders:

shell:AppUpdatesFolder
Shows installed Windows Updates.

shell:Common AppData
Shows the Public Application Data folder.

shell:Common Desktop
Shows the Public Desktop.

shell:Common Documents
Shows the Public Documents folder.

shell:CommonDownloads
Shows the Public Downloads folder.

shell:Common Programs
Shows the Public Start Menu Programs folder.

shell:Common Start Menu
Shows the Public Start Menu folder.

shell:Common Startup
Shows the Public Startup folder.

shell:Common Templates
Shows the Public Templates folder.

shell:Default Gadgets
Shows the default Sidebar Gadgets folder.

shell:Fonts
Shows the Fonts folder.

shell:Games
Shows the Games folder.

shell:MyComputerFolder
Shows the Computer folder.

shell:OEM Links
Shows links provided by your PC manufacturer.

shell:NetworkPlacesFolder
Shows the Network Places folder.

shell:PrintersFolder
Shows the Printers folder.

shell:ProgramFiles
Shows the Program Files folder.

shell:ProgramFilesCommon
Shows the Program Files\Common Files folder

shell:Public
Showss the Public folder.

shell:PublicGameTasks
Shows the Public Game Explorer folder.

shell:ResourceDir
Shows the Windows Resources folder. (where your themes are stored)

shell:RecycleBinFolder
Shows the Recycle Bin.

shell:System
Shows the Windows System folder.

shell:UserProfiles
Shows the folder holding all user profiles.

shell:Windows
Shows the Windows installation folder.

User Folders:

shell:AppData
Shows the user Application Data folder.

shell:CD Burning
Showsthe folder where files are stored before being burned to disc.

shell:Contacts
Shows the user Windows Contacts folder.

shell:CredentialManager
Shows the user Credentials folder.

shell:Cryptokeys
Shows the user encryption keys folder.

shell:Desktop
Shows the user desktop folder.

shell:Downloads
Shows the user downloads folder.

shell:Gadgets
Shows the user folder of downloaded Sidebar Gadgets.

shell:GameTasks
Shows the user Game Explorer folder.

shell:History
Shows the user History folder.

shell:Links
Shows the user Links folder.

shell:Local AppData
Shows the user Application Data folder.

shell:Local AppDataLow
Shows the user Application Data (Low Integrity) folder.

shell:NetHood
Shows the user Network Places folder.

shell:Personal
Shows the user Documents folder.

shell:Playlists
Shows the user \Music\Playlists folder.

shell:PrintHood
Shows the user printer shortcuts folder.

shell:Profile
Shows the user profile folder.

shell:Programs
Shows the user Start Menu Programs folder.

shell:Quick Launch
Shows the Quick Launch folder.

shell:Recent
Shows the user’s Recent Documents folder.

shell:SavedGames
Shows the Saved Games folder.

shell:Searches
Shows the saved searches folder.

shell:SendTo
Shows the user Send To folder.

shell:Start Menu
Shows the user Start Menu folder.

shell:Startup
Shows the user Startup folder.

shell:SystemCertificates
Shows the user certificates folder.

shell:Templates
Shows the user Templates folder.

Congratulations if you made it to the bottom of this long list. At last count there are 90 Shell folders on my computer. to see the complete list open Regedit and navigate to the following key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\FolderDescriptions

After you have the shell folder open you can also add a shortcut of it to your desktop by right clicking the icon in the navigation bar and dragging it to your desktop and choosing create a shortcut.

Show your Windows Side by Side in Vista

Kevin — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:09:17 +0000

Are you tired of resizing and dragging windows around so you can see them both at the same time, well here’s a quick tip that will quickly resize and display your windows side by side.

Hold down the control key and select two or more windows on the task bar, depending on how big your monitor is. Right click and select “Show Windows Side by Side“. You’ll now have the two windows perfectly sized sitting next to each other.

Enjoy Vista’s Hidden Aurora Animation

Kevin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:52:16 +0000

Here’s a little trick to check out Vista’s Aurora Animation, its part of the System Assessment Tool but you can run it by itself.

Just click the Start Orb and type winsat aurora and hit Enter.
If the UAC pops up click continue or enter your password.
A command box will open for a few seconds, then the animation will start.
To exit just tap the Esc key.

Crack Windows Passwords with Offline NT Password Editor

Kevin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:28:06 +0000

After trying numerous Password cracking programs I came across the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor. And I gotta tell you this is the easiest program to use to crack your password and it works on all versions of Windows. Check it out here.

Scroll down to the Download section to get the CD or floppy version. Burn a CD or Floppy, Set your computer to boot from the CD and follow his directions Here and within 5 minutes you will have cleared your password.

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The Most Affordable Way To Run Microsoft Software, Vista, Office and More

Kevin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:12:59 +0000

Here’s a little tip for you to check out if your tired of paying the high prices for Microsoft software and have a few computers in your house. Get a Microsoft Technet Plus subscription. The cost is $349.00 a year, or $249 to renew, with the subscription you get the right to download just about every piece of software Microsoft sells, including every version of Vista, XP, Office and every version of Server.

Check it out for yourself TechNet Plus Overview

Below is one of the great features available with a Technet Plus subscription:

Microsoft software licensed for evaluation purposes: Evaluate full-version commercial products–without time limits or feature limits, including Windows Vista™ Microsoft Office System and Exchange Server 2007. With full-version software, IT Professionals can make informed decisions about new technologies and deployments at their own pace.

I signed up in December and so far love it, You can download all the software listed and you get 10 license keys, so you can install it on all your machines, if 10 isn’t enough just ask for 10 more, easy as that.

Now I know they say for its for evaluation purposes but they are full versions with no time limits, and if you don’t renew your subscription at the end of the year the software still will work, and you are evaluating right.

I also found a $100.00 off coupon from Kevin Remde. use the code TMSAM08 when you sigh up. Sorry the code is only good for US residents, and I’m not sure when it expires so act soon.

So here’s a wrap up
Microsoft Technet Plus subscription $249.00

Vista Ultimate Amazon Price $329.99 us
Office 2007 Ultimate Amazon Price $507.49 us
Total $837.48 us

You save $588.48 and that savings is for only 1 computer and 2 pieces of software. Imagine if you have 4 or 5 you want to upgrade.

Vista Hot Fix Improves Disk Performance By 15%

Kevin — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:42:31 +0000

There a new Hot fix from Microsoft that can give you up to 15% faster performance copying and moving large files. Check out The Knowledge Base article 943899. It will probably included in a future Windows update but why wait. This update does require a Reboot.

OOPS my bad, I just checked another of my computers and it looks like MS put this in the update cycle already on 1-9-08 if you have Auto Updates turned on.

Create A Custom Vista Screensaver With Your Own Pictures

Kevin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:38:18 +0000

Here’s a quick tip to help you make a custom Screensaver with your favorite pictures in it.

1. click the Start Orb and choose Control Panel.

2. Click Appearance and Personalization.

3. In the Personalization section, click Change screen saver.

4. In the Screensaver settings, click the drop down box and choose Photos. Then click Settings.

5. In the Photo Screensaver settings box you can choose to use pictures or video from Photo Gallery, or choose your own folder, just choose the radio button of your choice. Then choose the Theme or style you want then the speed of the show.

6. Click Save when your finished.
7. Now back at the main screen you can preview your masterpiece, if you like. Click Ok to finish up.

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Another Quick Way To Shutdown Vista

Kevin — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:44:47 +0000

Here’s another quick way to Switch Users, Log-off, Restart, Sleep or Shut down Vista. From your desktop press Alt-F4 and the Shutdown dialog box will popup, then user the drop down to choose your action.

Bonus:

To lock your computer Press the Windows key + L

Entering Vista’s Task Manager

Kevin — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:31:28 +0000

Task Manager shows you the programs, processes, and services that are currently running on your computer. You can use Task Manager to monitor your computer’s performance or to close a program that is not responding.

If you are connected to a network, you can also use Task Manager to view network status and see how your network is functioning. If more than one user is connected to your computer, you can see who is connected, what they are working on, and you can send them a message.

In Windows XP to enter the Task Manager you used to press CTRL + ALT + DELETE, but in Vista to get task manager hit CTRL + SHIFT + ESC instead. You can also open Task Manager by right-clicking an empty area on the taskbar and then clicking Task Manager. (from Microsoft)

A Quick Way To Run A Command Prompt As An Administrator In Vista

Kevin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:08:53 +0000

When launching a command prompt from Vista’s start menu you need to right click cmd and choose Run As Administrator to elevate your privileges, But another way to accomplish the same thing is to do the following.

1. Click start Orb.
2. Type in cmd in the search box.
3. Press and hold down Shift and CTRL and then hit Enter.
4. Command prompt will now be run as administrator.

Change Your Plain Sidebar Clock To A Vista Clock

Kevin — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:15:44 +0000

Microsoft has a new sidebar clock available for download that changes the plain standard clock to a shiny Vista one. There a 12 styles included. It was created by ADH Darby and can be downloaded HERE give it a try and check out all the other gadgets at are available.

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What is Safe Mode

Kevin — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:20:56 +0000

Safe mode is a troubleshooting option for Windows that starts your computer in a limited state. Only the basic files and drivers necessary to run Windows are started. The words “Safe Mode” appear in the corners of the display to identify which Windows mode you are using. If an existing problem does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as possible causes.

If you don’t know the cause of the problem, you can use the process of elimination to help you find the problem. Try starting all of the programs you commonly use, including the programs in your Startup folder, one by one, to see if a program might be the cause of the problem.

If your computer automatically starts in safe mode without prompting, a problem with your computer might be preventing Windows from starting normally. If you think the cause of the problem might be a recently installed program or device, try using System Restore.

Here is a list of drivers that start in Safe Mode.

Floppy disk drives (internal and USB)
Internal CD-ROM drives (ATA, SCSI)
External CD-ROM drives (USB)
Internal DVD-ROM drives (ATA, SCSI)
External DVD-ROM drives (USB)
Internal hard disk drives (ATA, SATA, SCSI)
External hard disk drives (USB)
Keyboards (USB, PS/2, serial)
Mice (USB, PS/2, serial)
VGA display cards (PCI, AGP)

Flavors of Safe Mode:

Safe mode with networking:
Starts Windows in safe mode and includes the network drivers and services needed to access the Internet or other computers on your network.

Safe mode with command prompt:
Starts Windows in safe mode with a command prompt window instead of the usual Windows interface. This option is intended for IT professionals and administrators.

Enable boot logging:
Creates a file, ntbtlog.txt, that lists all the drivers that are installed during startup and that might be useful for advanced troubleshooting.

Enable low resolution video (640 × 480)
Starts Windows using your current video driver and using low resolution and refresh rate settings. You can use this mode to reset your display settings.

Last Known Good Configuration:
Starts Windows with the last registry and driver configuration that worked successfully.

Directory services restore mode:
Starts Windows domain controller running Active Directory so that the directory service can be restored. This option is intended for IT professionals and administrators.

Debugging mode:
Starts Windows in an advanced troubleshooting mode intended for IT professionals and system administrators.

Disable automatic restart on system failure:
Prevents Windows from automatically restarting if an error causes Windows to fail. Choose this option only if Windows is stuck in a loop where Windows fails, attempts to restart, and fails again repeatedly.

Disable Driver Signature Enforcement:
Allows drivers containing improper signatures to be installed.

(From the Windows help file)

Setup Vista To Boot Into Safe Mode On Next Boot

Kevin — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:09:49 +0000

Sometimes you need to boot into Safe Mode to recover from system problems, trouble shoot issues or upgrade drivers. To enter Safe Mode you would continually press the F8 key when rebooting and hope you pressed it at the right time or you’d try it again ( I can never seem to get it the first time) So here’s a way to enter Safe Mode on your next boot.

Click the Start Orb then Run.
In the Run dialog box type ” msconfig “and click OK.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
Click the Boot tab to make changes to the boot.ini file. Highlight your default operating system, Select the Safe boot option, Click Minimal from the list of Safe boot options, Select the Boot log option.
Click OK to save your changes. Now the next time you reboot you’ll be in Safe Mode. After you sort out any issues just reverse this process by removing the Safe boot option.

XYplorer A Great File Manager Alternative To Windows Explorer In Vista

Kevin — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 17:33:24 +0000

One of the reasons I haven’t adopted Vista full time yet is its god awful file new manager Windows Explorer. Well let me tell you I found a great new file manager called XYplorer it has a 30 day trial and costs $25.00 and is worth every penny. Give it a try.

XYplorer [eks-wai-plorer] is a multi-tabbed file manager for Windows (98, NT, ME, 2000, XP, XP x64, 2003, Vista, Vista x64) targeting everybody who is looking for a real alternative to Explorer. Let’s focus on a number of XYplorer’s usability and efficiency highlights many of which no other file manager has to offer.

Usability and efficiency highlights

1. Tabbed Browsing: Have an unlimited number of tabs to make jumping around between folders a one click affair. Rename the tabs, drag-shift them around, hide them, lock them, drag-n-drop stuff onto the tab headers… the tabs remember their configuration individually and between sessions.

2. Searches in Tabs: You often search your system for files added in the last 24 hours? You quickly need a list of all text files containing your name? Let a “finding tab” do this or any other search job at a single click!

3. The Address Bar accepts not just folders, but also files, URLs, and search terms. Yes, you can enter search patterns directly into the Address Bar. Simply put “?” between location and search pattern (Boolean operators and Regular Expressions allowed).

4 & 5. The Tree and List offer a suite of unique highlighting options to increase visual grip. Highlight Folder, Boxed Branch, Favorite Folder Bold, Highlight Focused Row, Highlight Sorted Column, Colored Grid, … all colors are fully customizable. And then there’s wildcard-configurable Color Coding for list items. Color code your files and folders now!

6. Catalog: Your favorite locations reside deep down in some heavily nested structures? Lift them to the surface! Your current project forces you to repeatedly ride from one end of your hard disk (or LAN) to the other? Join them within the flat hierarchy of a Catalog Category, and reduce their mutual distance to 18 pixels! Which means you got an easy one-click access to your most commonly used folders while maintaining a synchronized tree view! By the way, you can also drop stuff onto the Catalog’s items: file management cannot get any cooler!

7. Info Panel: The hideable tabbed panel at the bottom provides quick access to information (file properties and previews) and action (Find Files, Reports).

If you need a fast and friendly image browser, sound browser, or video browser, it’s here: Instant, one-click preview of image (incl. PNG, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, TGA, ICO and many more, using high-quality resampling for shrinking/zooming), audio (incl. WAV, MP3, OGG, APE, etc.), and video (MPG, AVI, MOV, QT, VOB, TS, WMV, etc. … not to forget FLV/YouTube) files, with display of detailed media information.

8. Find Files: XYplorer is a file manager featuring a high-end search engine with tremendous power and amazing speed. It fully supports Boolean logic (256 levels nesting depth!), advanced pattern matching, Regular Expressions, whole word and fuzzy matching, content search (i.e. text strings inside files), multiple location search, and much more.

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Change The Way Internet Explorer 7 Opens Pop-up Windows

Kevin — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:08:14 +0000

By default IE 7 opens all pop-ups in a new window but you can change that behavior to open them in a new tab if you prefer it. Here’s how.

Open IE7.
Click Tools > Internet options.
Under the General options, look for the Tabs section and choose Settings.
Under When a pop-up is encountered choose your preferred method.
Click Ok twice when finished.

And while your in the Internet options screen check out all the other options available to customize IE 7 to your liking.

To see Screen shots for the process, Click the Read the rest of this entry link.

1. Open IE7.

2. Click Tools > Internet options.

3. Under the General options, look for the Tabs section and choose Settings.

4. Under When a pop-up is encountered choose your preferred method.

5. Click Ok twice when finished.

Running Vista’s Disk Defragmenter

Kevin — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:00:43 +0000

Disk defragmentation describes the process of consolidating fragmented files on your computer’s hard disk.

Fragmentation happens to a hard disk over time as you save, change, or delete files. The changes that you save to a file are often stored at a location on the hard disk that’s different from the original file. Additional changes are saved to even more locations. Over time, both the file and the hard disk itself become fragmented, and your computer slows down as it has to look in many different places to open a file.

Disk Defragmenter is a tool that rearranges the data on your hard disk and reunites fragmented files so your computer can run more efficiently. In this version of Windows, Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule so you don’t have to remember to run it, although you can still run it manually or change the schedule it uses.

Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, but you can also defragment your hard disk manually.

Disk Defragmenter might take from several minutes to a few hours to finish, depending on the size and degree of fragmentation of your hard disk. You can still use your computer during the defragmentation process.(from the windows help files)

The Disk Defragmenter Will run automatically if set up correctly. Here’s how to check it.

Click the Start Orb.
Start typing Disk in the search box.
At the top of the menu under Programs click Disk Defragmenter.
Click continue if prompted by the UAC.
Make sure Run on a schedule is checked.
If you don’t like the time provided click Modify schedule, and choose How often, what day and what time you prefer.
Click Ok twice when finished.

You can also run Disk Defragmenter from the Command Prompt with more options. Here’s how.

Click the Start Orb.
Type CMD in the search box.
At the top of the menu under Programs right click CMD.exe and choose run as administrator.
Click continue if prompted by the UAC.
In the Command window type Defrag.exe.

Below you will see the options available. As you can see there are many different way you can run the Disk Defragmenter from the command prompt.

To see if a drive needs to be Defragmented just type the following at the prompt. C:Windowssystem32>defrag.exe C: -a

And the following report will be generated after a few minutes.

Then just add the Parameters you want.

Adjust Your Auto-Play Settings In Vista

Kevin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:33:14 +0000

When your insert media such as a DVD,CD, Software or Games into your computer Vista will ask you what you want to do with it. Here’s how to quickly adjust all your Auto-Play settings at once so you won’t need to tell vista what to do each time, or if you want to turn Auto-Play off completely.

Click the Start Orb and typing Auto in the search box.
Choose Auto Play under Programs.
To turn off Auto-Play for all devices remove the check mark next to Use Auto-Play for all media and devices.
To adjust the settings for each type of Media, click the drop down box next to each item and choose the action you want. Then click Save when your finished.

To see Screen shots for the process, Click the Read the rest of this entry link.

1. Click the Start Orb and typing Auto in the search box.

2. Choose Auto Play under Programs.

3. To turn off Auto-Play for all devices remove the check mark next to Use Auto-Play for all media and devices.

4. To adjust the settings for each type of Media, click the drop down box next to each item and choose the action you want. Then click Save when your finished.

Speed Up Access To Your Files And Folders

Kevin — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:04:30 +0000

Here’s a tip to save you a few seconds of searching for frequently accessed files or folders. Open up Windows Explorer or My computer and look to the upper left side and you’ll see Favorite Links section. Now just locate a file or folder you open a lot and drag it to the Favorite Links section, and it will create a shortcut there. You can add as many as you like, and drag then to any order you like.

Now next time you open Explorer you can quickly find to your file or folder.

If you want to get rid of an item just right click and choose Remove Link.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc, A Quicker Way To Your TaskManager In Vista

Kevin — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:02:39 +0000

If you find yourself using Vista’s TaskManager a lot you know the old 3 finger salute, Alt+Ctrl+Delete, In Vista it brings up a splash screen and then you can choose Start the TaskManager.

but there’s a quicker way that lets you bypass the splash screen. Just use Ctrl+Shift+Esc and it will take you right there.

Get An Onscreen Keyboard In Vista

Kevin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 12:49:19 +0000

Windows Vista comes with a virtual onscreen keyboard that you can use in an emergency if your regular one fails, but only if you have a shortcut to it that you can click with your mouse. This has saved my bacon once already so I thought I’d pass it along. Now I’m not saying its a pleasure to use but in an emergency it will do.

Click the Start Orb and type OSK into the Start menu’s Search box.

At the top of the screen you will see the results of the search. Right click OSK under Programs and drag it to your Desktop. You can rename if you like by right clicking the icon and choosing rename. Now if your keyboard goes kaput you can just click the Keyboard icon and finish what you were working on.

Run Any Program As An Administrator

Kevin — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:53:56 +0000

If your running Vista as a standard user some programs you use may ask to be run in a elevated status or as an Administrator. Here’s a quick way to Run any program as an Administrator :

Click Start, type the name of the application you want to run in the search box, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER instead of just ENTER.

If the User Account Control pops up you know its working.

System Restore FAQ

Kevin — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:23:02 +0000

Here are answers to some common questions about System Restore.

How does System Restore work?
System Restore uses restore points to return your system files and settings to an earlier point in time, without affecting personal files.

How do I start System Restore?
Click Start > type System Restore in the search box > Click System Restore under the Program section. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Can I undo the changes System Restore makes?
Yes. Every time you use System Restore, a restore point is created before proceeding, so you can undo the changes if they don’t fix your problem. If you use System Restore when the computer is in safe mode, you cannot undo the restore operation. However, you can run System Restore again and choose a different restore point if one exists.

To undo the changes System Restore makes
Open System Restore.? If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Click Undo System Restore, and then click Next. Review your choices, and then click Finish.

What files are changed during a system restore?
System Restore affects Windows system files, programs, and registry settings. It can also make changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of executable files on your computer.

Note:
System Restore does not affect personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos, so it cannot help you restore a deleted file. If you have backups of your files, you can restore the files from a backup.

Why doesn’t System Restore protect FAT32 disks?
System Restore doesn’t protect FAT32 and other FAT disks because FAT disks don’t support the use of shadow copies. Shadow copies contain information about changes to documents and system files. Shadow copies require the NTFS file system. In this version of Windows, System Restore uses shadow copies to create restore points. If you store system files on a FAT disk, you cannot use System Restore to undo changes.

How do I choose a restore point?
System Restore automatically recommends the most recent restore point created before a significant change, such as installing a program. You can also choose from a list of restore points. Try using restore points created just before the date and time you started noticing problems.

How often are restore points created?
Restore points are created automatically every day, and just before significant system events, such as the installation of a program or device driver. You can also create a restore point manually.

How do I create a restore point manually?
Open System. Click System Protection If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Click the System Protection tab, and then click Create.
In the System Protection dialog box, type a description, and then click Create.

How much hard disk space does System Restore require?
To store restore points, you need at least 300 megabytes (MB) of free space on each hard disk that has System Protection turned on. System Restore might use up to 15 percent of the space on each disk. As the amount of space fills up with restore points, System Restore will delete older restore points to make room for new ones.
System Restore will not run on hard disks smaller than 1 gigabyte (GB).

How long are restore points saved?
Restore points are saved until the hard disk space System Restore reserves is filled up. As new restore points are created, old ones are deleted. If you turn off System Protection (the feature that creates restore points) on a disk, all restore points are deleted from that disk. When you turn System Protection back on, new restore points are created.

How do I turn System Restore on or off?
System Protection, the feature that creates restore points, is on by default. We recommend that you keep System Protection turned on for all hard disks that contain important files so that you can use System Restore if you need to.
To turn System Restore on or off
Open System Restore. Click System Protection tab. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
To turn on System Protection for a hard disk, select the check box next to the disk, and then click OK.
? or ?
To turn off System Protection for a hard disk, clear the check box next to the disk, and then click OK.

I have an earlier version of Windows on my computer, but when I switch between versions, my restore points disappear. Why?
In this version of Windows, restore points are created differently and are not recognized by earlier versions of Windows. If you have a dual-boot configuration and you start an earlier version of Windows, the earlier version will delete any restore points created by this version of Windows. If you start this version of Windows, restore points will resume being created automatically.

What if System Restore doesn’t fix the problem?
If System Restore doesn’t fix the problem, you can undo the restore operation or try choosing a different restore point. If System Restore does not display any restore points to choose from, make sure you have System Protection turned on and that you have at least 300 MB of free space left on your hard disk. (From Microsoft)

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Get An Expanded Right Click Menu

Kevin — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 01:50:56 +0000

When you are browsing files and folders in Windows Explorer you can get an improved “Right click menu” by holding down the Shift key when you right click a file. As you can see in the screen shots the expanded menu add’s the ability to Open a file as read only, Pin an item to the Start Menu, add an item to the Quick Launch Bar and Copy the Path of the item you selected.

Expanded Right click menu.

Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts

Kevin — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:08:33 +0000

Ok, here’s a list of keyboard shortcuts for you Firefox users. If I missed any please leave a comment.

/                                  Quick find text as you type
Alt Enter                    Save link target as
Alt F4                        Close window
Alt Home key            Goto browsers home page
Alt Left arrow            Go back
Alt Right arrow         Go forward
Ctrl -                          Decrease screen font size
Ctrl 0                        Restore screen font to default
Ctrl +                        Increase screen font size
Ctrl 1 to 9                 Select a tab by number 1 to 9
Ctrl B                        Opens Bookmarks
Ctrl C                        Copies highlighted text
Ctrl D                        Add to bookmarks
Ctrl Down arrow      Selects next search engine in the search bar
Ctrl F                         Find text on a page

More after the break

Ctrl F5                       Clear the page cache and reload the page
Ctrl G                        Find Text again
Ctrl H                        Opens the history pane
Ctrl J                         Opens downloads dialog box
Ctrl K                        Highlights web search bar
Ctrl L                         Highlights address bar
Ctrl Link Click          Opens link in a new tab
Ctrl M                        Opens new message in Mail
Ctrl N                        Opens new browser session
Ctrl O                        Open file dialog box
Ctrl P                        Opens print dialog box
Ctrl P                         Print
Ctrl R                         Reloads the page
Ctrl S                         Saves the page
Ctrl Shift Del             Clears your private data
Ctrl Shift I                  Dom inspector
Ctrl Shift Tab            Goto previous tab
Ctrl Shift W               Close the window
Ctrl T                         Opens a new tab
Ctrl Tab                     Goto next tab
Ctrl U                         View page source code
Ctrl Up arrow            Selects previous search engine in the search bar
Ctrl V                         Paste
Ctrl W                        Close a tab
Ctrl X                         Cut
Ctrl Z                         Undo
End                           Go to bottom of page
Enter                       Adds .com to address bar
Esc                          Stop
F1                              Help
F3                              Find Text on a page
F5                              Reload page
F7                              Caret browser. Will put a cursor on the page. To be moved by the arrow keys
F11                            Turn on full screen view
Home                         Go to top of page
PgUp / Pg Down      Moves a pager up or down
Shift Enter                Adds .net to address bar
Shift F3                     Find previouse text

IE 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Kevin — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:52:50 +0000

Here’s a tip for IE 7 users. A few useful keyboard shortcuts.

Turn Full Screen Mode on or off F11
Find a word or phrase on a page CTRL+F
Open the current webpage in a new window CTRL+N
Print the page CTRL+P
Select all items on the page CTRL+A
Zoom in CTRL+PLUS
Zoom out CTRL+MINUS
Zoom to 100% CTRL+0

Navigation shortcuts
Go to home page ALT+HOME
Go backward ALT+LEFT
Go forward ALT+RIGHT
Refresh page F5
Refresh page and the cache CTRL+F5
Stop downloading page ESC

Favorites Center shortcuts
Open Favorites CTRL+I
Open Favorites in pinned mode CTRL+SHIFT+I
Organize Favorites CTRL+B
Add current page to Favorites CTRL+D
Open Feeds CTRL+J
Open Feeds in pinned mode CTRL+SHIFT+J
Open History CTRL+H
Open History in pinned mode CTRL+SHIFT+H

Open link in new background tab Middle mouse button or CTRL+left mouse button
Open link in new foreground tab CTRL+SHIFT+left mouse button or CTRL+SHIFT+middle mouse button
Close tab (closes window if only one tab is open) Middle mouse button on the tab or CTRL+W
Open Quick Tab view CTRL+Q
Open new tab CTRL+T
View list of open tabs CTRL+SHIFT+Q
Switch to next tab CTRL+TAB
Switch to previous tab CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Address Bar shortcuts
Select the Address Bar ALT+D
Add “http://www.” to the beginning and “.com” to the end of text in Address Bar CTRL+ENTER
Add “http://www.” to the beginning and the website address suffix you have specified to the end of text in the Address Bar* CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER
Open the website address that is typed in the Address Bar in new tab ALT+ENTER
View list of previously typed addresses F4

Instant Search Box
Select the Instant Search Box CTRL+E
View list of search providers CTRL+DOWN
Open search results in new tab ALT+ENTER

Help Vista Remember How To Size Your Windows

Kevin — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:26:02 +0000

Sometimes Vista forgets how you want to size and position your open windows just like XP did, and just like XP you need to remind it by setting the window how you like it then hold down the CTRL key as you close the window. The next time you open it it should be correct. You may need to cross your fingers also.

Easily Rename Multiple Files Using The TAB Key

Kevin — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:19:27 +0000

If you need to rename a bunch of files in a folder, Vista makes it easier. By default the file extension is preserved so all you need to do is change the name, also instead of hitting Enter after changing the name press the “TAB” key to highlight the next file and you’ll begin renaming the next file in the folder, keep pressing the TAB key to cycle through all the files. Give it a try

Search For Files Using the Stack View

Kevin — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 01:13:06 +0000

With Explorer’s little known stacks feature enabled you can quickly find all the documents you edited, yesterday, last week or maybe last month. Here’s how:

Open an Explorer window, click the little down-arrow next to the Date modified column header, and choose Stack by Date modified. Now you’ll see a collection of stacks (virtual folders), with different names Yes sir, now you can see which files were edited in the specific times.

Adding more Desktop Background Pictures

Kevin — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:50:45 +0000

When Microsoft was building Vista they asked a number of photographers to take pictures for the desktop backgrounds, you may even be using one now. They only included a few of the thousands taken. Today I came across the site of one of the photographers named Hamad Darwish and he has some more if his amazing photos that were not chosen, available for download that you use. Here’s the link to his Vista Wallpaper Pack It’s a 30 meg zip file that you can extract to where windows stores the backgrounds at C /windows /web/ wallpaper.

Windows Slide Show with Themes

Kevin — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:55:43 +0000

A little known feature in Vista is the ability to run a photo Slide Show with themes. Just open any folder with photos and click the Slide Show in the tool bar.

When the slide Show opens choose Themes from the bottom left menu. There are 12 to choose from.

Disable Vista’s Balloon Tips

Kevin — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:01:34 +0000

Are you getting tired of Vista?s balloon tips popping up all the time. They can be informative and they can be turned off if you like, here?s how.

For Vista Business and Ultimate:

Click Start then type ?gpedit.msc? in the search box and press enter to launch the Group Policy Editor.

Under Administrative Templates, click Start Menu and Taskbar and select? Remove BalloonTips on Start Menu Items?. Click Properties and then under the settings tab check the Disabled option.

For Vista Home Premium:

We need to edit the registry using the registry editor. A word of advice always back up the registry before making any changes. A system restore point will do.

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion
ExplorerAdvanced. In the right hand pane, right click in an empty space and choose ?New-DWORD (32 bit value) Type in ?EnableBalloonTips? in the field.

Right click the new entry and choose Modify. It should have a value data of 0. Click Ok and you?re finished.

Using Flip 3D

Kevin — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:18:42 +0000

If you’re a long time windows user you know the usefulness of Alt-Tab to switch between open applications. Vista users get an upgrade when using the Aero interface called Flip 3D. Press the Windows key+Tab to scroll thru a revolving set of windows so you can see what you’re switching to, let go of the Window key when you get to the screen you want. Also when in Flip mode you can use the arrow keys to go forward or backwards.

Changing Vista’s start menu back to Classic style

Kevin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:35:09 +0000

If you don’t like Vista’s new Start Menu, you can easily change it back to the Classic menu, like the one in Windows 2000 Just right click the Start button, click Properties and choose Classic Start Menu. But with this option you won’t get the Search box.

Pin items to the start menu

Kevin — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:36:42 +0000

Using the Start menu to open Programs or Documents is fast and easy. The first step is to Pin the item to the Start Menu.

To Pin an item to your Start Menu. Click Start – type it’s name search box, when it shows up right click it’s name and choose Pin to Start Menu and that’s it. It will now be pinned to the top of your Start Menu for easy access.

Vista’s quick program launching keyboard shortcut

Kevin — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:42:18 +0000

If you like to put shortcuts to programs or documents you access frequently in the Quick Launch tool bar, Here’s a Keyboard shortcut to open then faster. Press the Windows key 1 to open the first icon, Windows key 2 for the second and so on. If you want to change the icons position just drag and drop it where you want.

Change which programs Windows uses by default

Kevin — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:57:35 +0000

A default program is the program that Windows uses when you open a particular type of file, such as a music file, an image, or a webpage. For example, if you have more than one web browser installed on your computer, you can choose one of them to be the default browser.

To open the Default Programs screen, Click Start-Default Programs.

Set your default programs. Use this option to choose which programs you want Windows to use by default. If you want to use your media player to open all media files, use this option.

If a program does not show up in the Programs list:
If a program does not show up in the list, you can make the program a default by using Set Associations.

1. Click to open Default Programs.

2. Click Associate a file type or protocol with a program.

3. Click the file type or protocol that you want the program to act as the default for.

4. Click Change program.

5. Click the program that you want to use as the default for the file type you selected, or click the arrow next to Other Programs to show additional programs. (If your program is not listed, click Browse to find the program you want to use, and then click Open. If no other programs are installed that are able to open the file type or protocol, your choices will be limited.)

6. Click OK.

Note:
You cannot change an association for a file type or protocol and leave it blank or disassociated. You must select a new program.

The options you set here only apply to your user account. Your choices won’t affect other user accounts on the computer.

Associate a file type or protocol with a program:
Use this option to fine-tune default programs based on the file type or protocol. For example, you can have all .jpg image files open using a specific program, and .bmp image files open using a different program.

Highlight the file type and choose Change Program, Then choose one from the list.

Change AutoPlay settings:
You can also change which programs to use to start different kinds of media, such as music CDs or DVDs that contain photos.

Click the drop drop down arrow next to what you want to change and choose the action you want to happen.

Set default programs for this computer:
Set Program Access and Computer Defaults is a tool to set default programs for activities such as browsing the web and sending e‑mail for everyone who uses the computer.

Run or remove a blocked Startup Program

Kevin — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 22:11:01 +0000

The dreaded (UAC) is at it again. User Account Control prevents programs that require permission or an administrator password from running automatically when Windows starts. If a program is blocked, you’ll see a message in the notification area that says some startup programs need permission to run. You can run a blocked program, remove blocked programs from startup, or ignore the notification.

To run a blocked program:

1. Right-click the Blocked startup programs icon in the notification area.

2. Click Run blocked program, and then click the name of the program you want to run. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

You’ll need to repeat these steps each time you want to run the program after starting Windows.

To remove a blocked program from startup:

You can remove a blocked program from startup so that it won’t try to run automatically each time you start Windows. Removing the program from startup won’t remove the program from your computer.

1. Right-click the Blocked startup programs icon in the notification area.

2. Click Show or remove blocked startup programs.

If a program that you want to run at startup is being blocked, check the publisher’s website to see if there is an updated version of the program available that doesn’t require permission or an administrator password to run.

Remember removing a program from startup might affect other users of your computer.

Accessing Vista’s Command Window

Kevin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:51:34 +0000

For those of you who access the Command Window regularly you’ll glad to know you can open it from any folder, just press”shift and right click” or the tried and true method, “Start Pearl – search box – command.

Check Your Windows Vista Experience Index Score

Kevin — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 11:53:01 +0000

This handy program will give your computer a performance rating based on Processor speed, Memory, Graphics for running Aero and 3D gaming and your hard disks data transfer speed. The index ranges from 1 to 5.9 Mine is 3.5 for a few year old P4 2.4GHz with 1 gig of ram, and Vista runs just fine.You can get to the program by clicking the Windows Pearl- control panel- system maintenance- then under the System tab click check your computers Windows Experience Index base- update my score.

Windows Vista Software Compatibility List

Kevin — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 21:48:35 +0000

Here is a great Wiki on what programs are compatible with Vista. There are 3 major categories with hundreds of programs (Works, Somewhat works, & Heavy problemdoesnt work). Check it out it may save you a lot of time and grief.

http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List