WINDOWS TIP

How To Enable Task Manager

Some Malware and Trojan often disable access to Windows Task Manager. Fortunately, a few quick Registry edits are usually all that are needed to regain control.

Here's how to do it:

Click Start

Click Run

Type REGEDIT

Click OK and The Registry Editor will now open

Browse to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system

In the right pane, look for the value: DisableTaskMgr

Right click DisableTaskMgr and select Delete. (When prompted with "Are you sure you want to delete this value", select Yes.

Now browse to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system

In the right pane, look for the value: DisableTaskMgr

Right click DisableTaskMgr and select Delete. (When prompted with "Are you sure you want to delete this value", select Yes.

Close the Registry by choosing File | Exit

Restart your computer

You should now be able to access Task Manager. If not, reboot into Safe Mode and repeat the steps outlined above.

How To Access Locked Old My Documents in XP

After re-install or upgrade your XP, you can't access your old My Documents folder? Don't panic, easy..

One have to do is take ownership of that folder where you have been denied access with replace the security permissions to have access.

First, you must be logged on to the computer with an account that has administrative credentials. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, you must start the computer in safe mode, and then log on with an account that has Administrative rights to have access to the Security tab.

If you are using Windows XP Professional, you must disable Simple File Sharing. By default, Windows XP Professional uses Simple File sharing when it is not joined to a domain. For information about how to disable Simple File Sharing, view this Microsoft Knowledge Base's article about it.

Now, follow this steps to take ownership of a folder:

• Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
• Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message (if one appears).
• Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
• In the Name list, click your user name, or click Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, select the Replace owner on sub containers and objects check box.
• Click OK, and then click Yes when you receive the following message:
• You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control?
• All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes.
• Note folder name is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of.
• Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and its contents.

Hoopla! Now, you're grant access to your old My Documents folder!

How To Repairing Corrupt .RAR/.ZIP Archive

Here's the steps for repairing a corrupt .RAR/.ZIP Archive file:

1. Open WinRAR and browse to the folder with your .rar/.zip file.
2. Highlight the file and click the Repair button from the tool bar.
3. In the pop-up window, select "Treat the corrupt archive as RAR/ZIP" depending on which type of archive you are trying to repair.
4. You may get a "Suspicious Entry" pop-up. If so, select All. This may happen several times while repairing.
5. After WinRAR has completed repairing the archive, click on Close.
6. To extract your file, highlight your new rebuilt archive.
7. Next select Commands>Extract without confirmation
8. The files will start extracting.
9. The archived files will be extracted to the same folder as the repaired archive.

100 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

100 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
DELETE (Delete)
SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
CTRL+A (Select all)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
F5 key (Update the active window)
BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
ESC (Cancel the current task)
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
TAB (Move forward through the options)
SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
F1 key (Display Help)
F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)
Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)
Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
END (Display the bottom of the active window)
HOME (Display the top of the active window)
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)
Shortcut Keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
UP ARROW (Move up one row)
DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
END (Move to the end of the line)
CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
CTRL+N (Open a new console)
CTRL+S (Save the open console)
CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
CTRL+W (Open a new window)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
ALT+F4 (Close the console)
ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
ALT+V (Display the View menu)
ALT+F (Display the File menu)
ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)
MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)
Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)


MicroSoft Internet Explorer Navigation

CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
CTRL+W (Close the current window)

How To Clear Your Memory Without Restarting

If you run a windows computer you’ll know like many others than after a while your system will in doubt start running slow. Most people will restart their computer to remove and idle processes. But if there’s a simpler way, why restart every time windows decides it doesn’t like you today?

Follow this steps:

• Right click on an empty spot on your desktop and select New - Shortcut.
• Type %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks in the box.
• Click Next.
• Give your shortcut a nice name like “Clear Memory”.
• Click Finish and you’re done.

Now whenever your computer starts running slow click this shortcut to clear out your memory and get your computer running at a normal pace again

How To Reinstall Windows Without Losing Anything

Over time, Windows loses stability. If you keep a computer for more than two years, at some point you're going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch. But contrary to popular belief, you won't have to reformat your hard drive (with one exception, discussed below). The bad stuff you need to get rid of is all in your Windows folder.

Before you begin, gather your Windows and application CD-ROMs. Back up your data files (just to be safe), and then clear two days off your calendar. If everything goes smoothly, you can reinstall Windows in a few hours. But you have to assume something will go wrong: You may not be able to find a necessary CD, or data won't be where you thought it was, or something will simply refuse to work.

There's a difference between a repair reinstall and a complete reinstall. Though a repair (also called a refresh) will let you keep your current settings, a complete reinstall will give you a truly fresh version of Windows. Repairs are fast and easy, but they don't fix anywhere near as many problems. The instructions below are for total reinstalls, except where noted.

Your Vendor's Restore CD
Most computers ship with a vendor-specific restore CD rather than with a Microsoft Windows CD-ROM. (If your PC came with a Microsoft Windows CD, or if you bought a retail copy of Windows, skip to the section for your version.)

Some restore CDs give you all the options of a full Microsoft Windows CD, but with better instructions and the convenience of having all the right hardware drivers. Others can do nothing except reformat your hard drive and restore it to the condition it was in when you bought the PC. (This case is the exception I mentioned above that requires a reformat.)

If your restore CD is reformat-only, back up your data files to a network or a removable medium before reinstalling Windows. If you use Windows 98 or Me, back up C:\My Documents, plus the folders inside C:\Windows discussed in the 98 section below. If you have Windows 2000 or XP, back up C:\Documents and Settings. Also back up any other folders in which you store your data files.

Windows 98 and ME CDs
These Windows versions keep some important data inside your soon-to-be-erased Windows folder, so you need to copy several of its subfolders to another location. Right-click My Computer and select Explore. Double-click the C: drive icon (in Me, you may then have to click View the entire contents of this drive). Right-click in the right pane and select New, Folder. Name the new folder oldstuff.

Go to the Windows folder (you might have to click View the entire contents of this folder), hold down Ctrl, and select the following subfolders: All Users, Application Data, Desktop, Favorites, Local Settings, Profiles, SendTo, and Start Menu. If you don't see them all, select View, Folder Options (Tools, Folder Options in Me), click the View tab, select Show all files, and click OK. (If you still don't see them all, don't worry about it.) Press Ctrl and drag the folders to C:\oldstuff .

Restart Windows with a start-up disk in your floppy drive. (To make a start-up floppy, insert a disk, select Start, Settings, Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Startup Disk, Create Disk, and follow the prompts.) At the Startup Menu, select Start computer with CD-ROM support. While the drivers load, insert your Windows CD-ROM.

Unless you're doing a repair reinstall, type the command c:\windows\command\deltree /y c:\windows and press Enter. Deleting your old files could take time, but the /y switch suppresses confirmation prompts, so take a break.

When you're back at the A: prompt, type x:setup, where x is your CD drive letter (it's likely one letter past what it usually is in Windows, so if it's D: in Windows, it's probably E: here). Press Enter and follow the prompts.

Once you're back in Windows, reinstall your graphics card driver. If you have Windows set up for more than one user, you'll also have to re-create each account. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel, Users to do so. It's important that the user names match those in the old installation. If you're not sure, open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\oldstuff\profiles. There you'll find a folder for each registered user name. Don't worry about passwords. Log off and log back on as each user. When you're done, log off and back on one more time, but instead of choosing a user name and a password, press Esc to enter Windows without being a specific user.

Select Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt (in Windows 98) or Start, Programs, Accessories, MS-DOS Prompt (in Windows Me). Type xcopy c:\oldstuff\*.* c:\windows /s /h /r /c and press Enter (if you want to know what the xcopy switches do, enter the command xcopy /?). When xcopy asks if it should overwrite a file, press a for All.

When xcopy is through, reboot and log on (as a particular user, if necessary). Open My Documents to make sure all your personal files are where they belong, including your Internet Explorer favorites and your custom Start menu shortcuts.

Now skip ahead to "Finishing the Job."

Windows 2000 and XP CDs
Boot your computer with your Windows CD-ROM inserted. When you get the 'Press any key to boot from CD' message, do so. (If you don't see that message before Windows starts, restart Windows, press the key you're prompted to enter for your PC Setup program, and change the boot order so your CD drive is first.)

At the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press Enter. The R (repair) option takes you to the Recovery Module, which is useful if Windows won't boot, but it's no help with a reinstallation. Soon you'll be told that there's already a Windows installation on the computer. Press r for a repair reinstall or Esc to begin a complete, destructive one. For a complete restore, select your C: partition and press Enter. When you get the warning that says an operating system is on that partition, press c. When you are asked your partition preference, select Leave the current file system intact (no changes). When you're told that a Windows folder (or Winnt folder for Windows 2000) already exists, press l ('ell') to delete it and create a new one. Follow the series of prompts. When the installation program asks for your name, enter temp.

Once the installation is complete, your system will reboot into Windows, and you'll be logged on as user Temp. If the screen is difficult to read, reinstall your graphics card driver.

If you are reinstalling Windows XP, skip to "For Both Windows XP and 2000."

If you're reinstalling Windows 2000, log off as Temp and back on as Administrator. Now log off and on again, this time as Temp. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings. One of the subfolders will be named Administrator. Another will be named something like Administrator.computername.

Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt. Type cd "\documents and settings" and press Enter. Then type xcopy administrator\*.* administrator.computername /s /h /r /c, replacing computername with the last part of that folder's name (after "Administrator.") in Documents and Settings. Now press Enter, and when you're asked about overwriting files or folders, press a for All.

If you have any users on the old installation besides Administrator, continue with the "For Both Windows XP and 2000" section. Otherwise, open Windows Explorer and make sure your data files are where they belong. Then go to Control Panel's Users and Passwords applet and delete the user Temp before skipping to "Finishing the Job."

For Both Windows XP and 2000
Reopen Windows Explorer. Select your C: drive (you may have to click Show the contents of this folder). Right-click in the right pane and select New, Folder. Name the new folder oldstuff. In the left pane, choose the Documents and Settings folder. It should have subfolders for each user from the previous install, plus one for Temp and a few others. Move the folders for your previous user names to oldstuff.

Select Start, Control Panel, User Accounts (Start, Settings, Control Panel, Users and Passwords in Windows 2000). Create an account for each user who was registered before the reinstall. Be sure to use the exact names. They are the same names as the folders you just moved to oldstuff. In Windows XP, at least one user must have administrator privileges.

Log off and back on as each user, before logging back on as Temp. Make sure that you select Log Off and not Switch User at Windows XP's Log Off dialog box (this isn't an issue in Windows2000).

Log on as Temp, select Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt (in XP, Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt), type xcopy c:\oldstuff\*.* "c:\documents and settings" /s /h /r /c, and press Enter. Press a when asked if you want to overwrite a file. Log off Temp and log on to each restored account to make sure everyone's documents and data are where they belong. Log on as an administrator and run Control Panel's User Accounts applet again to remove the user Temp.

Finishing the Job
Now you've got Windows going, but not much else. You may have to reinstall your printer, sound card, and so on. Luckily, if a driver for the gadget came on your Windows or vendor restore CD, it was probably reinstalled automatically.

You'll have to reinstall your applications to reintroduce them to Windows. Some of their settings will not be changed by the re-installation, but those that were stored in the Registry were wiped out.

Once your Internet connection is running again, browse to Windows Update and download all critical updates for your version. Then visit the sites of your hardware vendors to update your drivers.

After the reinstall, some of your data may not show up where it should. Search for it in both your Application Data and oldstuff folders, and see if you can move it to the folder in which Windows or your apps are looking for it. If you find a folder called Identities with two subfolders whose names are long and indecipherable, try moving the contents of one to the other and see if your data reappears.

You've probably guessed that the final step is deleting the c:\oldstuff folder--and the Administrator folder in Windows 2000. Make this the very last step, however. Wait a couple of days, weeks, or even months until you're confident that all of your needed files are accessible.


Here is Another Possible Solution: easy way and tested:

1. Start WindowsXP
2. Go to the location of your Windows CD Setup source files
3. Run WINNT32 /unattend

For example, D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend ( copy & paste this command into the RUN box, then press ENTER ) Your computer will do the rest.

Or,

Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.
Copy & paste > D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend
Press Enter.

If you have i386 on your drive, you can replace D: ( if D: is your cd drive ) with the location of it.

I've often need to do this to repair something that had gotten corrupted and didn't want to do a clean install.

Notes:
D: is the driver letter where your windows XP Cd is
if D:\I386\winnt32 /unattend doesn't work then try : d:\winnt32 /unattend.

Top Ten Tips To Improve System Speed

Here's the Top Ten Tips To Improve Your Windows System More Speedy:

1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any applications.
2. Refresh the desktop after closing any application. This will remove any unused files from the RAM.
3. Do not set very large file size images as your wallpaper. Do not keep a wallpaper at all if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).
4. Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Each shortcut on the desktop uses up to 500 bytes of RAM
5. Empty the recycle bin regularly. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you empty the recycle bin.
6. Delete the temporary internet files regularly.
7. Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will free up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so that your applications run faster.
8. Always make two partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Softwares (like PSP, Photoshop, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows uses all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. Keep the C Drive as empty as possible.
9. When installing new Softwares disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons use up available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your PC. Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. You can disable these options later on also from the Tools or preferences menu in your application.
10. Protect your PC from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to jam and slow down thereby gradually heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU. Never use vacuum.

Note: RAM IS THE WORKING AREA (DESKTOP) OF THE CPU, KEEP IT AS EMPTY AND UNCLUTTERED AS POSSIBLE!

Improve Your XP Shutdown Speed

This tweak reduces the time Windows XP waits before automatically closing any running programs when you give it the command to shutdown.

Go to Start then select Run
Type 'Regedit' and click OK
Find 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\'
Select 'WaitToKillAppTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now select 'HungAppTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now find 'HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop'
Select 'WaitToKillAppTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now find 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Cur rentControlSet\Control\'
Select 'WaitToKillServiceTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'

That's all and Enjoy your XP Shutdown Speed now!

Boost your XP by Disable Performance Counter

Windows XP has a performance monitor utility which monitors several areas of your PC's performance. These utilities take up system resources so disabling is a good idea.
Follow this step to disable it:
1. Download and install the Extensible Performance Counter List.
2.Then select each counter in turn in the 'Extensible performance counters' window and clear the 'performance counters enabled' checkbox at the bottom.button below.
3. Reboot your PC.
4. Done. Your XP runs more faster.

How To Increase Hard Disk Speed

To speed up your hard disk speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the disk. This tip is only recommended if you have 256 MB RAM or higher.
Follow these steps:

• Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.
• Expand the system.ini file window.
• Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].
• Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type: Irq14=4096
• Note: This line is CASE SENSITIVE!!!
• Click on the File menu, then choose Save.
• Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.
• Done.

Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

Update: The most speed improvement is visible with IDE drives, however there are reports that this tweak also does good for SCSI disks. In any case, it won't harm your system, so why not try it yourself and let me know what you find.

Lock Your Computer with Easy Shortcut

Leaving your computer in a hurry but you don't want to log off? You can double-click a shortcut on your desktop to quickly lock the keyboard and display without using CTRL+ALT+DEL or a screen saver.

Here the steps to create a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer:

Right-click the desktop. Point to New, and then click Shortcut.
The Create Shortcut Wizard opens. In the text box, type the following:

rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

Click Next. Enter a name for the shortcut. You can call it "Lock Workstation" or choose any name you like.
Click Finish.
You can also change the shortcut's icon (my personal favorite is the padlock icon in shell32.dll).
To change the icon: Right click the shortcut and then select Properties.
Click the Shortcut tab, and then click the Change Icon button.
In the Look for icons in this file text box, type: Shell32.dll. Click OK.
Select one of the icons from the list and then click OK

You could also give it a shortcut keystroke such CTRL+ALT+L. This would save you only one keystroke from the normal command, but it could be more convenient.

Integrated Flickr on Windows Live Photo Gallery

Microsoft has updated Windows Live Photo Gallery, the upgrade to the default Windows Photo gallery that ships by default integrated into Windows Vista. While Windows Live Photo Gallery is still in Beta at this stage the product has evolved with the addition of some new features and functionality. Following the consistent feedback from users, Microsoft has added Flickr photo uploading capabilities to Photo Gallery, no longer restricting the software to its own Live Spaces. Microsoft partnered with Yahoo for this move, and consequently, users of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 will be able to find a Publish on Flickr option right in Windows Live Photo Gallery, extending the photo publishing flexibility.

"To upload to Flickr, all I needed to do was choose the photos I wanted to upload and hit "Publish" in the toolbar. A drop-down list will appear that allows me to either choose Windows Live Spaces or Flickr as destinations I want to publish my photos to. I chose Flickr. A new window appeared letting me enter options for which set I want the photo to belong to, what size I want the photo to be uploaded at, and permissions of that photo. Windows Live Photo Gallery will notify you once your photo (or photos) have been uploaded and ask if you would like to view those uploaded photos. In choosing to view the uploaded photos, I was able to add a description and change the name of the photo," Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc described the process.

The Redmond company is referring to the new release of Windows Live Photo Gallery as Beta 2.2 refresh. As of yet, the Beta 2.2 is not available directly for downloading. Microsoft is instead serving the refresh via Windows Update. In this context, with Windows Live Photo Gallery Beta 2 installed on your machine search for additional updates and you should find Beta 2.2 refresh. If this should not be the case exercise a little patience as it will take Microsoft quite a while to make the update available to all users. Simply check back in a couple of days.

"Windows Live Photo Gallery no longer requires WDS (Windows Desktop Search) to be installed on XP! Again, we heard the grumblings loud and clear, and took action! Once you have installed the update via Microsoft Update and have build 1299.1010 install you can uninstall WDS if you’re not using it with any other programs. Being a beta, we’ve also fixed a ton of bugs reported by users so the product should be a lot more stable since the last beta release," Microsoft Program Manager Michael Palermiti stated.

Save time and downloads for poor quality movies

For those of you how want to see the quality without downloading all the files just do the following:

• Download only part one to your desktop.
• Right click on the RAR part one and click on EXTRACT FILES. a window will open
• In that window go down to MISCELLANEOUS, and check the box KEEP BROKEN FILES
• In the large window highlight the place to save the file and click on OK
• When the RAR extraction stops and say's you need part 2, just cancel the extraction and part 1 will remain as a playable part. Just view with VIC or what ever player you use and check the quality of video and sound.

Saves a lot of download time on a bad Cam copy.

Typing Useful Symbols for MS Office Fastly

These symbols can be used in MS Word, Excel, etc.
Here fast way to type any usefull symbols in Microsoft Office applications

For © : Alt+0169
For ® : Alt+0174
For ™ : Alt+0153
For › : Alt+0155

For † : Alt+0134
For ø : Alt+0248
For ¤ : Alt+0164
For « : Alt+0171
For ° : Alt+0176
For ± : Alt+0177
For ² : Alt+0178
For ³ : Alt+0179
For µ : Alt+0181
For ¶ : Alt+0182
For ¹ : Alt+0185
For » : Alt+0187
For ¼ : Alt+0188
For ½ : Alt+0189
For ¾ : Alt+0190
For Å : Alt+0197
For × : Alt+0215
For Ø : Alt+0216
For Þ : Alt+0222
For ß : Alt+0223
For ?: Alt+1

Hope you find these useful
Enjoy...

Speed Up Your External Storage in Vista

Windows Vista operates external hard drives that are connected with USB differently than internal drives.
Write caching is disabled so that you can safely remove the drive at almost any time.

This is a great feature for USB thumb drives that are frequently inserted and removed from your computer. But if you have a large hard drive that is in an external enclosure that you never disconnect from your computer, write caching is also disabled which can decrease performance.

This tweak is going to show you how to increase the performance of your external hard drives by turning write caching back on as well as activating advanced performance. Let’s get started:

• Click on the start button, then right click on Computer and select Manage.
• Click on Device Manager on the side menu.
• Expand Disk drives and locate your external drive from the list.
• Right click on the drive and select Properties.
• On the Policies tab, select Optimize for performance.
• Next, check Enable write caching on the disk and Enable advanced performance.
• Hit OK, then restart your computer.

Enjoy !

Lock Your Computer Fastly: a Windows Trick

Leaving your computer in a hurry but you don’t want to log off?
You can double-click a shortcut on your desktop to quickly lock the keyboard and display without using CTRL+ALT+DEL or a screen saver.

To create a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer:

Right-click the desktop.
Point to New, and then click Shortcut.
The Create Shortcut Wizard opens.
In the text box, type the following: rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
Click Next. Enter a name for the shortcut.
You can call it "Lock Workstation" or choose any name you like.
Click Finish.

You can also change the shortcut's icon (ie: the padlock icon in shell32.dll).

To change the icon:

Right click the shortcut and then select Properties.
Click the Shortcut tab, and then click the Change Icon button.
In the Look for icons in this file text box, type: Shell32.dll.
Click OK.
Select one of the icons from the list and then click OK
You could also give it a shortcut keystroke such CTRL+ALT+L.

This would save you only one keystroke from the normal command, but it could be more convenient.

Solution for XP that can't start

XP Start up problems

If you can't get system to boot, here the solution:
Boot your PC with Windows XP installer CD ( you have to set your BIOS setup in order your CD device will be running first on Boot priority).

Let the XP Setup progress running until you see the Setup option screen.

Recovery Console: the recovery console is actually the first option you can choose in the setup. It will look something like this:

Enter = Continue R = Repair F3 = Quit

Make sure you press R at the first selection screen and then press '1' to choose to work with the Windows XP installation. When asked for the password for Administrator, enter it in otherwise just press the enter key.

From there it will give you a screen that just says 'C:\_'. Make sure you type the following just as it is shown: CHKDSK /p. This will attempt to repair any serious errors found on the partition tables. (There are also other options as far as ways to repair the XP installation but i'll let someone else show that trick.)

Afterwards reboot and if you still have problems booting up into windows XP it's time to talk recovery options. (retrieving and backing up for a clean reinstall.)

OK, good luck !

The Hidden Application in Windows

You can see the hidden application you never see before in your XP. Go to Start > Run > and type in: eudcedit
and press ENTER
this will open up a font editor, names Private Character Editor, this program allowing you to design your own custom fonts and characters to be used in Windows apps like Microsoft Word, Adobe PhotoShop, etc. This the Microsoft Word Font Character hidden secret program in Windows XP. Enjoy it.

The Hidden Microsoft Song

Do you know the hidden Microsoft song? I hear this song while im installing windows, where its almost at the end where have to register your windows, enter your username.......etc.
Some people might not hear it because, your sound card driver isn't installed. If you want to know and hear that song, here it:
Go to Start > Run > Copy and then Paste, or press and hold the Start + r .

C:\windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma

and hit Enter, of course ... Your media player should load the song, and now you can hear it.

Cannot Run .exe files ?

What causes the program to run ("execute") when you double click the file name in My Computer or put it in the Run dialog box? Briefly put, it is an entry in the Windows Registry that does this.

For many, many different file extensions for files -- such as .doc for Word documents, or .txt for ASCII text files -- there is a location in the Registry that specifies how Windows handles such files. For .doc files it specifies, usually, that the Microsoft Word program (if present on the computer), or the Windows Accessory Wordpad if MS Word is not present, will be used to open up the document file so you can read and edit it. For .exe files, it specifies the "Open" action to be that which causes the program to run.

There are a number of viruses, trojans, and worms that mess up the Registry data for running executable (.exe) files, so this can cause nothing to seem to happen when you double click an .exe file name in My Computer or try to execute one by putting the name in the Run dialog box off the Start Menu.

If the virus/trojan/worm has been partially removed from your computer, then you might get a Windows error message such as "Cannot find program.exe". The reason the various types of malware modify the .exe file Registry key is to ensure that when you try to run any executable program, the malware program runs instead.

Data files for modifying the Windows Registry have the file extension .reg Various authors have come up with .reg (Registry) files to restore the proper contents of the .exe entry. If the .exe file association entry in the Registry has been modified, then you cannot even run the Registry Editor, Regedit.exe in order to try and correct the problem.

Somewhat often, you can rename the Registry Editor program to another type of executable by changing its name from Regedit.exe to Regedit.com and then you can edit the Registry. But edit it to what? If the Registry entry for .reg files has not been maliciously modified, it is easier to download the appropriate .reg file for your version of Windows and then double click the file name in order to fix the .exe entry.

For Windows XP, you can find one this way: right click this registry file, click save target as on popup menu for download it. After that, double click that file and click OK. Restart your Windows, and finish. You can run the .exe files as before now!