Synthetic Tips For You

Recall Commands In Windows XP With Command Prompt History

2009-03-12T07:11:00.000-10:00

Using the command line has many advantages if your a home user or System Administrator when it comes to quick execution or checking System information. Many times you will find yourself using the same command multiple times. Instead of constantly typing the same command over and over, Windows XP command history editor provides quick access to a list of recently executed commands.
There are several ways to recall a command from history either to execute the command again, edit it by adding addition arguments or changing to different directories. But first let's set the buffer that will determine the number of commands that can be stored. To do this, click on Start \ Run… and type cmd

When command shell window opens, click once on the command shell logo in the top left corner of the window and select properties.

Once the properties window opens, in the Command History section, you can leave the setting at their default values on change it to make the Buffer Size bigger (you can leave the Numbers of Buffers at 4). Also check the Discard Old Duplicates. This will delete any duplicate commands in the history buffer. When finished click OK.

You may also want to check the Quick Edit Mode under Edit Options which will enable cut and paste at the command prompt.

After you have begun to use commands and you need to recall a command from history, one method is to press F7. This will open a window listing all the command, in order, you have used during the session.

To navigate and select a command, use the up / down arrow keys and press enter to select and immediately execute the command or use the left / right arrow keys to select a command which can be edited at the prompt. The Esc key closes the window without selecting a command.

If the history buffer has many commands, use thr Pg Up / Pg Dn keys to jump ahead or back through the buffer.

Another method to recall from the history can be performed at the command prompt itself. Press either the up or down arrow keys, to scroll through the buffer or use Pg Up and move to the oldest command and Pg Dn moves to the newest command.

The F8 searches the buffer by first typing a few characters of the command and pressing F8.
The most recent command to match the search will display. Repeatedly pressing F8 will continue the search for the next search match.

Using the F9 key will recall commands by their number. A popup window will appear allowing you to enter the number of the command previously executed.

You can also type the first letter of a command at the prompt, then use the right arrow key to continue to spell out the most recently used command. This is usefull if their were syntex errors that need to be edited.

Windows XP command prompt provides a powerfull tool to manage your System. Knowing the tricks when using the shell makes Administration a lot easy and fun.

Know of any command prompt tricks? Tell us a trick or two and we'll we'll publish them with your name attached to them!

How To Identify Programs That Slows Down Your Computer During Startup

2009-03-12T07:08:00.000-10:00

Frustrated that your Windows PC is slow when booting, or logon takes forever to complete? Wish you could stop programs from auto starting or worried you may have spyware? For many Windows users this is a common occurence that seem impossible to fix unless your a seasoned System Administrator.

Many tools exist that will help dig inside your Computer but end up being incomplete with identifying all possible locations where programs can hide. Fortunantly a tool called Autoruns does exist and is capable of hunting down every program that autostarts during boot or when you logon.

Autoruns is a powerful Windows utility that shows you what programs are configured to run (auto start) during system bootup or login. Included locations are programs in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys, browser add-ons and File Explorer add-ons.

Autoruns works on all versions of Windows including Windows XP, Server 2003 64-bit Edition (for x64) and can be downloaded from Microsoft Technet site (formally Sysinternals). As of this article it is unknown if Autoruns is supported on Windows Vista.

Once downloaded, unzip the contents into a folder and run autoruns.exe. The first tab Autoruns displays is everything that autostarts on your Computer

Autoruns includes 15 tabs that you can select to display areas such as Internet Explorer, Services, and Logons where programs can auto start.

Autoruns Modes

Three modes exist for displaying programs that can be set in the Options menu:

Include Empty Locations - will display locations of known location that programs can autostart. By default this setting is uncheck.
Verify Code Signatures - will display on Systems that support image signing verification (icon next to program name). "Not Verified" will display if an image does not exist.
Hide Microsoft Entries - omits images that have been signed by Microsoft.

After selecting a mode, you will need to refresh the list from the menu under File.

Autoruns Features

Autoruns has an interaction feature by right clicking on a program. You can Search Online for programs that you do not recognize, or Jump To the location of the program such as the Registry or Startup folder, or display Properties of the selected item. If you also have Process Explorer running, Autoruns will switch to Process Explorer to show process information for the program that was selected.

One feature that make Autoruns standout from other utilities is the ability to take save a snapshot of all entries, then compare the entries after installing applications or making configuration changes. When comparing changes, items diplayed in "green" represent new items. To save, select Save from the File menu.

Word Of Caution

When troubleshooting your Computer for slow startups or logon problems, it is best to isolate one program at a time by deslecting the program. Make sure you document all changes in the exact order you made before testing and BACKUP all personal data. Although you can delete programs, it is recommended not to delete unless you are a Computer Professional.

More Autoruns information can be found at Sysinternals forums.

Tab Definitions

Logon - this entry results in scans of standard autostart locations such as the Startup folder for the current user and all users, the Run Registry keys, and standard application launch locations.

Explorer Select this entry to see Explorer shell extensions, browser helper objects, explorer toolbars, active setup executions, and shell execute hooks.

Internet Explorer - this entry shows Browser Helper Objects (BHO's), Internet Explorer toolbars and extensions.

Services - all Windows services configured to start automatically when the system boots.

Drivers - This displays all kernel-mode drivers registered on the system except those that are disabled.

Scheduled Tasks - Task scheduler tasks configured to start at boot or logon.

AppInit DLLs - this has Autoruns shows DLLs registered as application initialization DLLs.

Boot Execute - native images (as opposed to Windows images) that run early during the boot process.

Image Hijacks - image file execution options and command prompt autostarts.

Known DLLs - this reports the location of DLLs that Windows loads into applications that reference them.

Winlogon Notifications - shows DLLs that register for Winlogon notification of logon events.

Winsock Providers - shows registered Winsock protocols, including Winsock service providers. Malware often installs itself as a Winsock service provider because there are few tools that can remove them. Autoruns can uninstall them, but cannot disable them.

LSA Providers - shows registers Local Security Authority (LSA) authentication, notification and security packages.

Printer Monitor Drivers - displays DLLs that load into the print spooling service. Malware has used this support to autostart itself.

How To Connect To Windows Shared Folders Without Browsing The Network

2009-03-12T07:07:00.000-10:00

For most people connecting to Windows shares on a PC or Server is usually accomplished using My Network Places and browsing the Network or with Windows Explorer and selecting Map Network Drive. Depending on the Network you are on, browsing a Network can take forever.

If you are looking for a quicker way to browse and connect to Network resources such as shared folders and printers, one easy method is to use UNC.

UNC, known as Universal Naming Convention or sometimes as Uniform Naming Convention, is a naming convention for identifying Network resources (such as folders, printers, etc..).

…HUH?

Ok, let's see an example. First UNC names consist of three parts, a server name, a share name, and an optional file path that are combined using backslashes as follows:

\\servername\sharename\optional

Using UNC is beneficial when you know the PC or Server of the shared resource you want to connect. To quickly connect to a folder share, you can use Windows Start \ Run Window:

After typing the UNC: \\jr\videos in the Run Window, and clicking OK, a Window will open listing the videos shared folder on the Computer name jr

TIP: The first time you connect to a shared resource on another Computer, Windows will prompt you to authenticate (logon). Make your you have an account on the Computer you are connecting.

One nice feature of using UNC, is that you do not need to know the share names on the Computer you want to connect. By just typing \\jr\ at the Run Line, will display all the resources shared on the Computer:

If you just type the first letter of the share name, it will list all shares that start with that letter. Another trick is to append a backslash at the end of a share name and it will list the contents of the shared folder.

Notice when there are more files than what can be displayed, a scroll bar will appear allowing you to scroll through the list of files. If a sub-folder exist, selecting it will show the contents of that folder. As with selecting a shared folder and having a seperate Window open, selecting a file, will open on your Computer (as long as a Program exist that can open the file).

If you need to map a drive when using UNC from the Run window, use the net use command to map the drive. The syntax for net use is:

net use * \\computername\sharename

where * is the drive leter you want to use:

net use F \\192.168.1.103\videos

When mapping a drive letter from Start \ Run window, you will need to open Windows Explorer to view the mapping.

If you are using Windows Vista and wondering where the Run window dissappeared to, you can find it by:

Right-click on the Start menu and choose Properties;
Select the Start Menu tab and click on the Customize… button;
Check the "Run command" option.

Using UNC is not limited to just Windows operating systems. You can also use it to connect to Novell and Unix/Linux Computers (running SAMBA).

How To Enable Command Prompt Automatic Completion in Windows XP

2009-03-12T07:06:00.000-10:00

If you use Windows XP Command prompt either for small or large tasks, one feature that is not enable by default is Automatic Completion. This feature will complete file and folder names automatically that you type at a command prompt and is real handy with folders that have a space in its name…
You can activate or deactivate this feature for a computer, or for only the current command session.

Current Session Activation

To activate Automatic Completion for the current session, open a Command prompt and type cmd /f. To use, type CTRL+D to complete a folder name or CTRL+F to complete a file name.

For example, to change to Documents and Settings folder, you can type at the prompt:

cd \doc

then press the Control key and the letter d

CTRL+D

The folder Documents and Settings will auto complete (with quotes since a space is included) and you can just press enter to change to the folder.

To display the contents of a text file, such as example.txt, you can type

type:exa

then press CTRL+F.

The best feature is when there are multiple folders or files that match the characters you type, typing the control character (CTRL+F or CTRL+D) again displays the next matching instance. When the correct folder or file is displayed, press ENTER to complete the command. If no folder of file matches the characters that you type, you hear a beep.

If you do not know the names of folders or files in the current directory, you can just use CTRL+D or CTRL+F to list the contents of the folder with out first typing any characters.

To deactivate Automatic Complete for the current session, type cmd /f:off

TIP: If you use the file-completion control character with a command that works only with folders (for example, the cd or rd command), only folder names are searched.

Permanent Activation

If you enable Automatic Completion permanently, the feature is available to all users. However, you can deactivate the feature for any individual user, or you can use different control characters for that user than you applied to the computer. The user settings take precedence over the computer settings.

(WARNING:Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Always have a backup available)

Open regedit and follow these steps:

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor key.
Click on the Command Processor key.
For folder name completion, double-click the CompletionChar value. Type in 0×4 (for CTRL+D) in the Value data field and make sure Hexadecimal is selected. Click OK
For file name completion, double-click the PathCompletionChar value. Type in 0×6 (CTRL+F) in the Value data field and make sure Hexadecimal is selected. Click OK
Close regedit.

How To Change The Location Of My Documents Folder In Windows XP

2009-03-12T06:51:00.000-10:00

I have recently added a second hard drive to my Computer because my first drive was running out of disk space. I usually save everything to "My Documents" and now want to move the folder to the new hard drive. How can I move the folder and it's contents?
This is usually one of the first tasks I do when I build a new Computer with Windows installed. Moving the My Documents folder to another hard drive or partition keeps the System partition from running out of disk space and isolates the folder if I need to reinstall Windows without losing any personal data stored in the folder.

The default location of My Documents folder is located at C:\Documents and Settings\X\My Documents, where "X" is the name of the user. Two methods can be used to move the folder:

First Method:

1) Open My Computer.
2) Right click on My Documents and from the sub-menu select properties.
3) Change the target folder path and Apply.

Second Method:

1) Open My Computer.
2) Right click on My Documents present and from the sub-menu select Cut
3) Navigate to the location where you want to save the folder, right click and select Paste.

If you only have one hard disk installed in your Computer and it is set up with one partition, you will not be able to move the folder to free up disk space. Tools do exist to create additional partitions after Windows has been installed, but if you are having disk space problems, adding a second hard drive will allow you to move the folder and free up disk space.

How To Recover Lost Website Passwords in Internet Explorer

2009-03-12T06:45:00.001-10:00

I'm always visiting websites that require me to create an account and password. Every time I create an account, I never write it down and end up forgetting the password. Is there any way I can see the passwords in Internet Explorer?

Fortunately there is a tool that works with all version of Internet Explorer, including IE 7 that reveals passwords called IE Passview. The tool is created by Nir Sofer and is free.

After you have downloaded IE Passview, unzipp the files to a folder. IE PassView does not require any installation, and can be started by clicking on iepv.exe. After running iepv.exe, IE PassView scans all Internet Explorer passwords in your system, and display them on the main window.

IE PassView utility can recover 3 types of passwords that are stored in the registry, credential files, and protective storage:

AutoComplete Passwords - user and account passwords when enter in a Web page that contains a form with user/password fields and a login button.
HTTP Authentication Passwords - Some Web sites allow the user to enter only after typing user and password in a separated dialog-box. If you choose to save the password in this login dialog-box, the password is saved as HTTP authentication password.
FTP Passwords - passwords used with of FTP sites (ftp://…)

You can then save the user name and passwords in a file by selecting File - Save Selected Items. If you have previously cleared your browsing history and selected to clear passwords, you will not be able to recover passwords that were previously saved.

Windows Tip: How To Find Folders That Are Taking Up Space On Your Hard Disk

2009-03-12T06:23:00.000-10:00

When using Windows Explorer for viewing your files and directories on your Computer, one item missing from Explorer's default view is which directories are taking up the most space on your hard disk. You can easily view how much Total Size and Free Space is available, but Windows Explorer does not report individual directory sizes unless you look at the properties of each directory.

To remedy this problem of finding which directory is eating up your free space, I like to use a tool called Directory Disk Usage.

Directory Disk Usage, known as diruse is a free command line tool found on Microsoft's Help and Support site. Using diruse is easy. After you have downloaded the tool, install by clicking on diruse_setup.exe.

After installing the program, open a command prompt and run:

cd "\Program Files\Resource Kit"
diruse /M /* c:\

where:
/M - reports in Magabytes
/* - Uses the top-level directories residing in the specified directory (In the above example C:\ is the specifed directory)

Below is the results of the output:

Size (mb) Files Directory
0.22 3 SUB-TOTAL: C:\$VAULT$.AVG
301.49 3649 SUB-TOTAL: C:\Documents and Settings
539.93 6797 SUB-TOTAL: C:\I386
4767.69 13447 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER
957.58 8666 SUB-TOTAL: C:\pebuilder3110a
1278.40 12564 SUB-TOTAL: C:\Program Files
504.03 1586 SUB-TOTAL: C:\RECYCLER
2194.60 8086 SUB-TOTAL: C:\System Volume Information
2346.51 15754 SUB-TOTAL: C:\WINDOWS
12890.45 70552 TOTAL

The above results show the C:\OTHER directory is using 4767.69 Mega Bytes of disk space. Next, I'll run the diruse command again, against C:\OTHER to drill down and find the exact directory eating up my disk space:

diruse /M /* c:\OTHER

Below is the results of the output:

Size (mb) Files Directory
2.91 14 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\BusinessInfo
61.98 1309 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\software
41.60 41 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\drivers
0.02 21 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\work
3.03 9 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\config
0.00 3 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\lnetwork
182.16 537 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\bkup
14.71 6 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\vpnclient
1.81 60 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\info
817.20 224 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\tools
515.25 449 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\wtnfiles
3089.50 10765 SUB-TOTAL: C:\OTHER\MP3
4730.18 13438 TOTAL

As you can see from the results above, the MP3 directory is using 3.089.50 Gigabytes of disk space. From here I can open up Windows Explorer and start cleaning up or backup to an USB Drives any unused Mp3 files to reclaim back some disk space.

Diruse is a versitile tools that replaces the missing functionality of Windows Explorer with displaying individual directory sizes on you Hard Disk. If the output of your list is large, dir use can redirect the output to a text file to help you view it. To redirect use the > character as shown below:

diruse /M /* c:\OTHER > "\Program Files\Resource Kit\output.csv"

Diruse syntax:

DIRUSE {/s | /v} {/m | /k | /b} [/c] [/,] [/q:# [/l] [/a] [/d] [/o]] [/*] [DirList]

Where:

/s
includes subdirectories of the specified directories in the output.

/v
writes progress reports while scanning subdirectories. The /v is ignored if /s is specified.

/m
displays disk usage in megabytes.

/k
displays disk usage in kilobytes.

/b
displays disk usage in bytes (default).

/c
uses compressed file size instead of apparent file size.

/,
displays the thousands separator (comma or period) in file sizes.

/q:#
marks directories that exceed the specified size (#) with an exclamation point (!). If /m (megabytes) or /k (kilobytes) is not specified, the size is assumed to be in bytes. If /q is specified and any directory is found that exceeds the specified size, then the return code is ONE. Otherwise the return code is ZERO.

The following switches can be used in conjunction with /q:

/l Writes overflows to the log file diruse.log in the current directory.

/a Specifies that an alert is generated if sizes specified by /q:# are exceeded. The Alerter service must be running, and the alert appears only when you are using Diruse.

/d Displays only directories that exceed specified sizes.

/o Specifies that subdirectories are not checked to see if they exceed the specified size.

/* uses the top-level directories residing in the specified DirList.

DirList specifies a list of directories to check. DirList is required. Use semicolons, commas, or spaces to separate multiple directories.

How To Identify Unknown Network Connections In Windows (And See Who Is Connecting To Your Computer)

2009-03-12T06:15:00.000-10:00

In our previous article, How To Identify Unknown Processes In Windows we discovered how to identify and track down processes running on your Computer using Process Explorer.

Next, we'll look at how to identify Network connections, known as TCP/IP ports, and how to find out who is connecting to your Computer.

What Are TCP/IP Ports?

Webopedia defines TCP/IP Network ports as "an endpoint to a logical connection. The port number identifies what type of port it is. For example, port 80 is used for HTTP traffic."

Think of ports and port numbers as how services enter your house, such as your phone, where the port is the box outside your house that connects the wires from the street and phone company to your house, and port number is your phone number.

If you stood on your roof and look down at your house, you will see all services entering and leaving your house from utilities and other companies that supply electric, gas, cable, etc.

With Computers, you can also "look down" and see all the logical Network connections communicating with your computer, by using a tool called TCPView for Windows located at Microsoft TechNet Windows Sysinternals website. This tool is free and runs on Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows 98/Me. You can use TCPView on Windows 95 if you get the Windows 95 Winsock 2 Update from Microsoft.

Using TCPView

Once downloaded, unzip to a location on your PC and execute TCPview.exe. You should see a screen similar to this:

TCPview will show you a detailed listings of all TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) endpoints on your Computer, including the local and remote addresses and state of TCP connections. On Windows NT, 2000 and XP, TCPView also reports the name of the process that owns the endpoint.

The first column displays the Process name (on your Computer) and the Local Address column shows your Computer name and the port number your Computer is listening on, while the Remote Address column will display the remote Computer name (or IP Address if TCPview cannot resolve the IP address to it's Domain name) and the port number it is listening on.

As shown below, the Remote Address column is the key to who you are communicating and connected with.

In this case the Local Address is marklap Computer and it is connected to the Remote Address known as msgr-cs128.hotmail.com.

As described above, the Port makrlap is accepting the connection on is 2185 while msgr-cs128 is accepting the connection on 1863. So how do you know what kind of communications is going on between the two hosts?

If you do not recognize the Process name, you can look up the Remote Address Port information for a list of well known common ports or here for a detailed list of well known ports.

In this case we will need to look up port 1863 using the detailed list, which is MSNP, known as Windows Messenger (from Microsoft) which provides Online Chat and Instant Messenger service.

TIP: If you did not know what MSNP was, search Google, but be carefull when searching, since a lot of results could mis-lead the meaning and lure you into buying software you do not need. In this case, search at your Computer OS vendor web site for the information.

One of the reason I like TCPview is because it's provides real-time activity. You will notice when the Endpoints change state from one update to the next, it is highlighted in yellow. Those that are deleted are shown in red, and new endpoints are shown in green.

Another reason, is that you can right click on a Process that has a connection to a Remote Address, select properties and do a WhoIS lookup for the remote host, as well as select Process Properties to display the Path and Command line information for the Process. The number next to Process is the PID (Process Identifier) running on your PC. TCPview also gives you the capability to end a process or close a connection.

An example of a WhoIS lookup:

Example of a Process properties:

Other tools exist that can provide the same or more information as TCPview. With any tool you use, it is important that you understand what the data means and use the information to determine exactly who is connecting to you.

Armed with this knowledge, you can quickly identify unknown Network connections and never again wonder who is reaching into your Computer.

How To Identify Unknown Processes In Windows

2009-03-12T06:14:00.000-10:00

When it comes to Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, knowing what is running under the hood is the key to identifying problems and keeping the system running properly. One example is identifying what processes are running, and how did they start.

Understanding how to track processes down, can be a big help if you think your system is infected with spyware, or if performance is sluggish.

You can use Task Manager to quickly see all running processes, but if you need to drill down and find out what program started the process, Task Manager falls short of reporting all the needed details. A tool that I use to get the details, is Process Explorer from Microsoft Windows Sysinternals site.

You can easily download Process Explorer at Microsoft TechNet Windows Sysinternals site and it's free. Process Explorer runs on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003, and 64-bit versions of Windows for x64 processors, and Windows Vista.

Once downloaded, unzip it and click on procexp.exe (no installation required). You should see a screen similar to this:

Process Explorer at first may look intimidating, but don't let that discourage you from using this tool. In the left window pane are all processes running on you computer. The right window pane has several columns. One column that you should add is the Command line column. This can be easily added by selecting from the menu, View, Select Columns then check Command Line and click on Ok.

As you can see in the first screen shot, all processes are easily identified by the Description and Company name. The two important columns are the Path and Command Line. These two columns display the exact location of the program that started the process and the command parameters that ran during execution.

One sign of a rogue process is usually when the Description and Company columns are blank. If you suspect a process is suspicious, check the directory location where it was started, and see what date the directory was created. Also mouse over the process as shown in the screenshot below, and see if there are any services running for the process. In this case the process svchost.exe reveals all programs it has started.

You can also right click on a process and select properties which will display all information of the process such as Security, Environment settings, Performance and Threads. Two tabs that will be of most interest is the Image tab which displays path, command line and current directory of the process, and TCP/IP tab that identifies port and connection information which can be of value in understanding who the process is communicating with.

If you suspect a process is a problem, you can kill the process and see if it restarts on it's own (a real sign of spyware or virus). You can kill a process either by right clicking and selecting Kill Process or from the Image tab by selecting properties. Make sure no applications are open to avoid data loss before killing a process.

TIP: Not sure what a process is, right click on the process and select Search Online. Your browser will open and the process name will be searched in MSN Live. From there you can start to investigate and find detailed information about the process.

Process Explorer is a powerful tool that can provide a window into your Operating System and let you see what is running on your System. A good idea is to run the tool once a day so you can get used to seeing what processes should be running normally on your System. If you suspect something is wrong, you can then easily identify any process that are not recognizable and quickly determine where the process is located on your PC and if it causing problems.

Take Control Of Internet Explorer 7 with These Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts

2009-03-12T06:13:00.001-10:00

If you have been using Internet Explorer 7 for a while, and the new-ness has worn off, now is a good time to learn a few keyboard and mouse shortcuts to help get you around the Internet more efficiently.

Below you will find the more useful keyboard shortcuts, but first check out these two mouse shortcut gems….

1) Load From Memory - Have you ever wrote a post or reply or comment on a page, or filled a form, or answered a survey just to find out you clicked a link by accident and ‘lost’ your work? Hold down shift and then use the mouse/keyboard scroll wheel: you can attempt to go forward or backward in your browser history from the RAM. This isn’t like the back/front buttons at the top, those take you to the URL stored, but the scroll wheel trick will load the contents from memory, and if you’re lucky, the form hasn’t been reset.

2) Change Font on the Fly - By holding down the ctrl button using scrolling either up or down with the scroll wheel on your mouse or keyboard, you can make the font size increase or decrease as well.

(More shortcut tips can be found at NeoSmart.net. Read the full article here: 10 Great New & Undiscovered IE7 Keyboard Shortcuts )

General shortcuts

Turn Full Screen Mode on or off	F11
Cycle through the Address Bar, Refresh button, Search Box, and items on a web page	TAB
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+-
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

Tab Shortcuts

Open link in new background tab	CTRL+left mouse button or middle 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)	CTRL+W or CTRL+F4
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

Search Bar shortcuts

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

(Source: MSDN )

Test Results: Software That Slows Down Windows

2009-03-12T06:07:00.000-10:00

Interesting story on Digg today about What software slows Windows down the most. The Software listed should be no surprise with Symantec Norton Internet Security 2006 leading the pack. Other notable Software included 1000 Fonts, Yahoo Instant Messenger 8.0, and McAfee Security Center.

That list was nice, but the discussion shifted gears to what are the best applications that do not slow windows down and perform the best. Many of them are free!

Two Web Browsers mentioned were, Firefox - http://www.getfirefox.com and Opera - http://www.opera.com. Firefox does have a problem with memory consumption, but performance is very good. Opera in my opinion is better and worh a try.

Anti Virus software mentioned were AVG Free - http://free.grisoft.com/doc/28415/lng/us/tpl/v5 (which I use and can say have not had any problems with it to date), and NOD32 - http://www.eset.com, Avast! Antivirus - http://www.avast.com/, AntiVir - http://www.free-av.com

The rest of the list comprised of the following software including:

Spyware - Spybot: Search and Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org/ and AdAware SE: http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=lst-0-1

Media Players - VLC : http://www.videolan.org/vlc/, Classic: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/, Foobar2000 - http://www.foobar2000.org, ffdshow: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/codecs_and_filters/ffdshow.cfm, Real Alternative: http://www.free-codecs.com/download_soft.php?d=2541&s=65, Quicktime Alternative: http://www.free-codecs.com/download_soft.php?d=2829&s=66

Instant Messenger Clients - Gaim: http://gaim.sourceforge.net, Trillian: http://www.trillian.cc, Meebo: http://www.meebo.com, and Miranda IM: http://www.miranda-im.org

Email - Email:
Thunderbird - http://www.getthunderbird.com

If your running any software that was listed as to what slows Windows down, try un-installing the software and see if it improves the performance on your computer. If it does, then you know you have some bloated software that needs to go!

How to Select a MP3 Player That is Best For You?

2009-03-12T05:56:00.001-10:00

MP3 players are everywhere today - people on a plane, people jogging in your local park, you name it and you are most likely to find one of these tiny digital music players in plain sight! Today, there are literally dozens of models on the market today. Each one professes to be able to do just about everything short of sitting up and begging for a bone!

So how do you decide which one to choose? Here are a few ideas to help you make your decision.

Audio or Video or Both? Do you intend to play only audio tracks, or do you also want to play video? If you need video, you will need to select a MP4 or MP5 player. But if you only want to listen to music, you can probably get away with an inexpensive MP3 player. For video though, you will need to get a MP4 or MP5 player.

Flash Memory or Hard Disk: The songs that you download on to your digital music player will be stored in memory. This can be a flash memory, or a hard disk. Flash memory modules usually have smaller capacities than hard disks. Common flash memory capacities on the market today are 4 gigabytes (GB) and 8 GB, which hard disk capacities can range up to 160GB. A few things to note about units with hard disks - they are typically more expensive than MP3 players with flash memory; they usually consume more power (more frequent recharging or more batteries) than flash memory units; a jolt or bump can cause "skipping"; a hard enough jolt or bump can damage the spindle mechanism of the hard disk.

Storage Capacity: How much memory do you need in your player? Well, that depends on how many songs you intend to store in the unit. Typical music tracks in MP3 format range in size from 4MB to 5MB. So for every 1GB of storage, you can expect to store between 200 and 250 songs. Use this as a rough guide to determine the capacity that you are looking for. The other consideration is market conditions. Currently, you get the most "bang for your buck" with 4GB units. So you may be better off buying a unit with 4GB capacity, rather than one with 1 or 2GB.

Built-In Battery or External: Your digital music player will be powered by a battery. MP3 players on the market today can either have a built-in, rechargeable Li-ion batter, or may use an external (usually AAA size) battery as their power source. Units with built-in batteries are usually much smaller, and do not have the added expense of batteries. Units that use AAA batteries are typically larger, and also have longer play times. If you're flying from LA to NY and your built-in battery runs out of juice at 30,000 ft., there's not much that you can do!

Budget: The market can supply you with any model and configuration you need to fit your (reasonable) budget. So before you start shopping for a MP3 players, figure out how much you want to spend, and then search within your constraints. It is very easy to lose sight of budget constraints once you look at the bells and whistles available on today's models!

This is not intended to be a comprehensive checklist that you can use to make a decision. Instead, the intent here is to give you a good starting point for your questions as you embark on this effort to select the best unit for you. Do your own research as well, and talk to others before you spend your money.

How To Download Audio Books To Your MP3 Player Hassle Free

2009-03-12T05:55:00.001-10:00

Are MP3-technology portable players only good for playing cool tunes downloaded from the net? Far from it. They offer an alternative and a convenient listening addition to audio books on tape or CD.

What used to take days or weeks of waiting for the mail carrier to deliver your audio books on tape or CD, now takes no more than a few minutes. You can be listening to your favorite MP3 books straight away. And it's going to get even better, easier and quicker, judging from the advances in audio and web technologies in recent months.

The hard-core audiobook listeners may take a while to "convert" from using tapes and CDs to an MP3 format. The sheer convenience, perfect control and the size choices MP3 players offer, the "change-over period" is likely going to be a short one.

So, if you are a budding MP3 book pioneer and want the latest portable audio technology conveniences, they are waiting here to serve you without having to spend a fortune or extra time to do it right.

To download audio books in MP3 format to your computer and over to your MP3 player, look at the exact steps you need to take to do it quickly and easily.

Just note the following instructions use Windows Media Player - Version 10 as an example.
Let's assume you are already good at downloading files from the web onto your computer.
Let's also assume that you already own an MP3 player, but don't know how to do this transfer correctly yet.

1 - If you are using an older version of Windows Media Player and need to upgrade, surf over to Microsoft and download it at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download. Follow the installation instructions.

2 - Download the MP3 books to your computer. It is a good idea to create a separate folder, say in "My Documents" folder and name it "My Audio Books". It allows you to keep your audio book downloads all in one location. Done it? Good.

3 - Now, connect your computer (switched on) to the MP3 player using the USB cable supplied with your player.

4 - Once the connection between the two is live, your computer will show that it has found a new piece of hardware. If it doesn't say this, just unplug everything in the above sequence and try again.

5 - Is it working now? Okay.
Open your Windows Media Player and open the audio book MP3 file you want to copy. This will open your audio book in the main display area of Windows Media Player.

6 - Add the audio book to the Sync List of your Windows Media Player.

7 - Go ahead and click on the Sync tab on the Windows Media Player. It brings you to a pull-down arrow menu on the left-side box of the Sync tab. Make sure you select the choice "Removable Disk (E)", or the name of your MP3 player as the source where the audio book will be copied to.

8 - Do you see a display with the choice to "Start Sync" right now? Great! Go ahead and click on it. Once you've done this, the Windows Media Player will let you know that it's sending the audio book to your MP3 player.

9 - As soon as the sync (or copying) of the audio book file is complete, you can check to assure it is on your MP3 player. See it there? Excellent. One more step to go.

10 - To finish this process properly, ensure you click on your PC's hardware icon (found in your system tray - in the right bottom corner - usually a small icon with a green arrow) to "Safely Remove Hardware".
Don't remove the USB cable until you get a clear signal saying "Safe To Remove Hardware".
Removing the USB cable without following this step may damage both your computer and the MP3 player.

Note: Are you using an older version of Windows Media Player? Even so, you can still follow the steps above. The only major difference is that instead of having "Sync", you will have "Copy" in the menu. You can click on it and follow the same steps above to have your audio book copied to your MP3 player.

If you have a portable MP3 player that uses a drag-and-drop file method instead of Windows Media Player synchronization, then the steps are easy to follow. Simply connect your player to the computer as above. Open the player's window by clicking on its name or on "Removable Disc (for example E or F) under "My Computer" icon.

Then, open the MP3 books folder (the location where you have them saved) in a separate window. Keep both windows open side-by-side. Now, left-click, hold and drag the audio files over to the open window of the portable player. Once you release the left mouse button, there will be a short file-transfer moment. Done? Now, your MP3 books are on your player, ready for you to enjoy listening to it.

So, can you play back the audio book from your MP3 player now? If you have followed the steps, you should hear the audio book playing on your MP3 player.

If you have difficulties, you can watch an easy-to-follow video that shows you how to do it at http://www.mybigaudio.com/help.html

Author - Lou Smith shares with you hard-to-find Audio Books in too many categories to mention it here. Be our guest and download free MP3 books right now.

Convert iTunes to MP3 Format

2009-03-12T05:54:00.000-10:00

It does seem unfair… you paid for those songs and now you can't play them outside of the iTunes environment, on hardware not supported by Apple, or on operating systems not supported by iTunes.

That's because the iTunes tracks that you purchase and download are in a "protected" AAC or M4P audio format. Only it's not YOU that is being protected, it's Apple, or rather Apple's bottom line. Apple explains this by saying that their proprietary format gives you superior sound quality, but that's a smokescreen. It's all about DRM, and DRM is all about the money.

The ability to make copies of copyrighted materials is seen by the recording industry as a threat to its profitability, and perhaps rightly so. DRM (Digital Rights Management) was created by digital media publishers so they could control the duplication and dissemination of their content. But DRM is actually a misnomer. Because rather than granting rights, DRM actually restricts the consumer from doing perfectly valid and reasonable things with music they own.

MP3 is the standard for digital audio. An MP3 music track can be played on almost ANY player, whether it's portable or computer-based. You can burn MP3s to a CD and they'll play just fine on almost any modern CD player.

But Apple's iTunes software doesn't create MP3 files when you buy a song. The files are "protected" and cannot be played on a computer which does not have the iTunes software. You CAN copy them to your portable music player, as long as you bought that player from Apple and it says iPod on it. Understandably, this makes Linux users, and the millions of owners of non-iPod music players a little upset.

Converting iTunes to MP3

If you right-click on a music track in iTunes, there is an option to Convert Selection to some other format. Probably it says "Convert Selection to AAC", which is useless because your iTunes tracks are already in AAC format! So click on Edit / Preferences / Importing then change the Import Using from the default setting to "MP3 Encoder". Click OK to save this setting. Now when you right-click on a music track, there is an option to Convert Selection to MP3. But just try it… iTunes will tell you that "Protected files cannot be converted to other formats."

Converting AAC to MP3

Bzzzt! Sorry, thanks for playing. It turns out you can only convert non-protected formats (such as WAV or WMA) to MP3. So what can we do? Fortunately, there are two ways to get around this annoying restriction.

Method 1: Burn the track(s) to a CD, then you can open the CD in iTunes and the Convert Selection to MP3 will do exactly what you want. Just be aware that you'll have TWO copies of that song in iTunes — one in the original AAC format and one in MP3 format. You can delete the AAC version if you like.

Method 2: If you have lots of music, you might need a big pile of CDs to convert everything with the "burn and rip" method above. That's where the JHymn software can help. JHymn was created to allow you to exercise your fair-use rights under copyright law, and will free your iTunes music from DRM restrictions with no loss of sound quality. JHymn provides a drag and drop graphical interface for both Mac OSX and Windows users. But currently, JHymn will not work with iTunes Version 6 or higher. If you have an earlier version of iTunes, keep it, or visit http://www.oldapps.com/itunes.htm to search for a backlevel version.

Note that JHymn is not meant to aid music piracy, but it does contradict the iTunes user agreement, and may not be legal in your country. You should be aware of the legalites of DRM circumvention in your country and make your own decision whether using JHymn software is right for you. Then use JHymn only for making archival copies of your own music, for copying tracks to an MP3 player, or for playing your music on a non-Itunes platform. If you decide against using JHymn, you might want to look into TuneBite. The makers of Tunebite claim that it lets you make "totally legal" unprotected copies of copy-protected music files by recording them while they are being played.

This article was reprinted. To see more information from commenters of this article, see: http://www.askbobrankin.com/convert_itunes_to_mp3_format.html

Author Bob Rankin is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

Installing MP3 Downloader For Accessing Amazon MP3 Music Store

2009-03-12T05:53:00.000-10:00

This week, Amazon launched the much anticipated public beta of it's AmazonMP3 online music store. The hype surrounding the launch wasn't about another music service, but a DRM (Digital Rights Management) free service.

With millions of titles available, and low pricing, Amazon is betting it's online store will be a bigger hit, than the popular Apple iTunes Store. Why, because the Digital Rights Management hassle is avoided and MP3 players that are not Apple Ipods, can now download their favorite tunes without realizing you can't convert it LEGALLY if you purchased from iTunes.

So how do you get started? With the AmazonMp3 download utility.

Once you have downloaded the tool, run setup by clicking on AmazonMP3Installer.exe and click Install to start the installation.

NOTE: Install instructions are for Windows OS's, but will be similar for Mac's.

When finished, the installer will launch your browser informing you that the utility has been installed successfully.

To test MP3 downloads, AmazonMP3 store lets you download a free song (Energy by The Apples In Stereo) by clicking the Download Song button from the same page that informed you the install was successful.

After entering your information, you will see the Open dialog box. Make sure you check the box to "…automatically open files like this for now" and click OK.

Next, you will see the download progress.

When completed, your default music player will pop open and start playing (in my case, Windows Media Player). The song will be added to your play list automatically.

You can control which Media Library and directory songs should be added along with other configuration options in the Amazon MP3 download utility by selecting File \ Preferences from the menu.

A real nice feature with the utiltiy, if you are using iTunes, songs are added automatically added to your iTunes directory

Now all you need to do is go back to the AmazonMP3 site, download more tunes and enjoy free DRM music!

11 Tips On Finding The Best IPod Download Sites

2009-03-12T05:51:00.000-10:00

You may have come across many websites that offer free iPod downloads. But beware as there have been stories of copyright infringement when the copyrighted music and other media are distributed and shared.

As a layman, you do not know whether it is legal to download the iPod music, movie or TV show you are searching for. So, avoid such iPod download sites as you may be on the wrong side of the law when you download iPod media files from these sites.

On the other hand, more paid iPod downloads membership sites have been appearing recently. You now have better choices to download iPod music, movies and TV shows legally at much cheaper prices than iTune. However, as an iPod user in the midst of multiple choices, we are once again caught in a dilemma to decide which one is the best for us.

Here, I will share with you some key tips on what to look out for in the iPod download membership benefits.

1. Per iPod Download Vs One Time Fee

Does the site charge for per piece of iPod music, movie or TV series file you download? I find it expensive to download media files at iTune, do you? I mean $1.99 for a music video and $0.99 per song is crazy. Nowadays, for a low one-time lifetime fee, you can download as many songs and music videos as you wish. Make sure you compare the pricing.

2. iPod Music Downloads Variety

What variety and range of music files can you find? To me, it is important that they have genres ranging from popular pop to jazz.

3. Huge Media Library of iPod Music, Movies, TV Shows and Video Files

Does it provide a huge library of media files? Do they have a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and videos? Do they frequently update their database with new iPod downloads?

4. Ease of Use of Member's Site Interface

Is the member interface easy and user-friendly? Ease of use is very important.

5. Free iPod Downloading and System-compatible Software Provided

Do they provide with free software

to help you in downloading those movies, mp3s etc? Are they easy to use? Are these software compatible with PC or MAC or both? Can they be used to download iPod files to older generation iPods or only to the newer models?

6. Fast iPod File Downloading Speeds

How fast is the iPod downloading speed? How long does it take for the files to be transferred?

7. Safe Downloading Process of iPod Media Files?

Do they ensure the iPod downloads to our computers are safe? Is spyware removal included to ensure that nothing goes wrong while downloading the music and movies?

8. Testimonials And Excellent Track Record

Is the company getting complaints or positive testimonials? Read these at iPod forums. Hear their experiences in using these iPod downloads services.

9. Legality of iPod Downloads

Is it legal? These are proper sites which have the right to distribute the iPod media files so you can have a peace of mind that you are not breaking any copyright laws.

10. 24/7 Responsive and Expert Technical Support

Do they provide fast and responsive support? 24/7? Do they have the expertise to trouble-shoot when you encounter difficulties in the iPod downloads? Sad to say, some download sites display this feature as an advertising gimmick only and are unable to deliver the level of service.

11. Secured Payment Processing System and Measures to Safeguard Your Privacy

Is the payment processing secured? Will your personal details be divulged to anyone? Most of these sites have secured payment processing and they make it absolutely certain that your privacy is not compromised.

I hope that these tips will give you a good start in finding your choice iPod Downloads site. In my next article, you will be able to read a review of the top 3 downloads site based on the criterion I have described here.

The content of this article is provided for the purpose of education and illustration only and is in no way associated with Apple, iTune, or any company or subsidiary of Apple. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Davion is a successful webmaster and author. Find out how you can access to unlimited ipod downloads - digital quality music, full length DVD quality movies, TV shows and videos legally and easily from home at ipod-downloads-site.blogspot.com.

iPhone Tips and Tricks: Get the Most Out of Your iPhone Experience

2009-03-12T05:50:00.002-10:00

All of us folks who are lucky enough to already have an iPhone know how much fun they can be just to play around with. Playing with my iPhone a lot myself, I have discovered some cool tips and tricks that you may find useful.

1. If you tap once at the very top of the screen when you are on the internet, it will take you back to the top of the window rather than having to scroll all the way back up. A nice time saving feature.

2. If you set the font to the smallest size, you can read more in the internet window. An advantage of this is that when you want to click a link, you can pinch (expand) that area and the link will come up very large, making it much easier to click.

3. Rather than posting the full address of internet sites in bookmarks, you can post the equivalent RSS address instead into Apple's RSS reader and save that as your bookmark. This way you can quickly see if there's anything interesting on your favorite site rather than downloading the whole homepage.

4. If you are writing something and the iPhone flags a word as misspelled that you know is not misspelled, cancel the correction 3 times and the word will be put into the dictionary. If you write a lot, this feature is quite useful!

5. The magnifying glass is a nice iPhone tool when you are typing an email or any other text. If you tap once and hold, a magnifying glass will pop up showing you a zoomed in view of your words and cursor. You can now easily place the cursor wherever you want. This makes editing your writing very easy.

6. You can move icons around, but not on the home screen. You have to go to the ipod section. Go to iPod > More > Edit. Now you can drag your icons all around. This can also be done in the phone section.

7. To reset your iphone, hold down the right button and the "home" front button for about 6 seconds. To power it back on, push the top button. This is different than a regular shutdown, which can be done easily by holding the sleep/wake button for 6 seconds.

8. If you get a lot of spam e-mail or other unwanted e-mail, pay attention to this time saving feature. Add a link to Yahoo mail in Safari bookmarks. From there you can check 'delete all' to remove all unwanted e-mails. This is much easier than deleting hundreds of spam e-mails one at a time.

If you want to be able to download all sorts of music and movies for your iPhone, check out my other article about iPhone Download Sites.

Author: Chris Prato - I hope you found these iphone tips helpful. If you have an iPhone and have been wondering how best to fill it up with music and movies, check out Top iPhone Downloads for the latest reviews of iPhone download sites.

Windows Vista Fix To Resolve iPod Being Corrupted When Using Safely Remove Hardware Feature

2009-03-12T05:50:00.001-10:00

Microsoft has released an update to resolve an issue where an Apple iPod may be vulnerable to corruption when selecting the "Safely Remove Hardware feature on systems running Windows Vista. When attempting to eject the iPod the possibility exist for the iPod to become corrupted, causing data loss. Apple recommended work around was to always eject their iPods within the iTunes software.

The patch can be obtained by running Windows Update or from Microsoft by downloading iPod patch fix for Vista x86-based versions and to fix the iPod eject issue on Vista 64-Bit versions.

Apple has also released a new version of iTunes version 7.1.1 that fixes earlier problems with iPods running on Windows Vista systems. This updates fixes issues with purchased tracks becoming unplayable, and possible iPod corruptions in Windows Vista.

iTunes 7.1.1 can be downloaded from Apple web site.

How To Fix And Repair Your iPOD With Video Instructions

2009-03-12T05:49:00.002-10:00

What would life be with out your iPOD? Miserable for sure. If the un-thinkable has you wondering when the day will come that your iPOD needs to serviced because your battery or hard drive needs to be replaced, or the click wheel or head phone jack is busted, the good news is that you may be able to fix it yourself with a series of video instructions…
The website ipodhowtovideo.com iPOD repair video tutorials will show you how to fix some common problems and save you money in repair costs. The site is just gearing up, but offer tutorials for iPOD Mini, iPOD 3rd and 4th Generations. Tutorial videos include:

iPod Video LCD Screen / Faceplate Replacement Tutorial
iPod Video Battery Replacement Tutorial
iPod Video Hard Drive Replacement Tutorial
iPod Video Logic Board / Click Wheel Replacement Tutorial
iPod Video Headphone Jack / Hold Switch Replacement Tutorial

In addition to the videos, their E-Commerce site offers parts, an iPOD pry tool (used to pry open you iPOD with out damaging it), diagnostic and repair service. Check them out and get your iPOD back to life!

How To Prolong Your Apple iPod Battery’s Life?

2009-03-12T05:49:00.001-10:00

The Apple iPod is the most popular portable mp3 player today. Like many users, I have been thinking of ways to prolong the lifespan of my Apple iPod battery. Here are 5 tips that will help to improve your Apple iPod battery lifespan

Before you start, it is important to update your iPod firmware to the latest version. For example the iPod firmware version 1.2 provides better power management features for your iPod battery.

1. Backlight Settings

You can set the iPod backlight timer setting to minimum. I have set mine to 3 seconds. That means when there is no activity for 3 second, the iPod will turn off the backlight automatically. You can even switch it to off if you are using the iPod in bright areas.

2. Brightness Settings

For Apple ipod firmware version 1.2 and above, you should be able to access the brightness control. You can go then iPod Menu, then select Settings and lastly Brightness. By reducing the brightness, it can help to reduce the power drain from the iPod battery.

Unless you are watching videos on your iPod, I usually reduce the brightness to about 40 percent when listening to mp3.

3. Charging Your Apple iPod Battery

Try to avoid frequent full discharges because this can cause strain on your iPod battery. There is no harm in charging a battery even if is is not totally drained.

4. Keep Your iPod Battery Cool

Heat is the most common reason for the short life span of iPod battery. Try to avoid putting your iPod in the sun for long periods of time.

Always remember to put your iPod in sleep mode when you are not using it. This helps to save battery life.

5. Avoid Frequent Changing of Tracks

Since the iPod uses the same type of technology to store data as your computer, frequent changing of tracks means the iPod has to continuously access the internal iPod hard disk. In this case, the hard disk has to be continuously spinning and can reduce battery life.

By implementing these 5 tips, you can help to prolong the lifespan of your Apple iPod battery.

Author Ricky Lim is an avid iPod fan who runs an iPod newsletter. Visit his site for more ipod information such as the apple ipod shuffle review.

iPod Tip: How To Check The Battery Status On Your First And Second Generation iPod Shuffle

2009-03-12T05:48:00.002-10:00

Checking the battery status of your iPod shuffle is simple. Just press the button on the back of your iPod then check the LED colors with the table below that indicate the status of the battery:
* Green = good charge
* Amber = low charge (or charging when connected to USB)
* Red = very low charge
* No light = no charge

When Charging your first generation iPod Shuffle, make sure the computer is not in sleep mode. If you need to check the battery status while it is charging, eject the iPod shuffle from iTunes first, before checking (click the Eject button next to the iPod shuffle icon in the iTunes Source list). On some computers, sleep mode can turn off USB signals and prevent the battery status from working.

For best results, charge the battery fully the first time you use iPod shuffle. The battery is 80-percent charged in two hours, and fully charged int four hours. If your iPod is being used as a disk, the status light blinks amber continuously.

If an iPod shuffle isn’t used for a while, the battery might need to be recharged.

iPod Shuffle Second Generation

iPod shuffle second generation has two status lights, one on the top, and one on the bottom, that let you know when you've pressed a button, the state of the battery, that iPod shuffle is enabled as a disk, or if there's something wrong.

The below table shows the the battery status lights, when you turn on or disconnect your
iPod shuffle:

* Orange = low charge (10% - 30%)
* Red = very low charge <10%)
* No light = no charge
* alternating green and two orange for 10 seconds = ERROR: iPod shuffle must be restored

If iPod shuffle is already on, you can check the battery status without interrupting playback by switching the iPOD off and then on again.

Your iPod shuffle battery will start charging—the front status light will blink orange to indicate that it's connected (if you set iPod shuffle to be used as a disk, this light will blinkcontinuously). You will not be able to use iPod shuffle while it's charging.

As with the first gerneration iPOD shuffle, the battery will be about 80-percent charged in about 2 hours, fully charged in about 4 hours, will need to be re-charged if it has not been used for a long period of time.

How To Check If Your Ipod Has A Virus

2009-03-12T05:48:00.001-10:00

After September 2006 a number of apple iPods had been shipped with a Windows virus. Luckily for most MP3 and iPod users only a very small number are actually infected and this virus which only affects windows computers is called the RavMonE.exe virus. So, how do you check or remove this iPod virus?

First if you have your ipod attached to your PC and have the latest anti virus software installed this should automatically detect and clean your pc/iPod of any virus present including the ravmone.exe virus. The iPod nano, shuffle and mac OS are not affected and the latest iPod video are also guaranteed to be virus free.

First steps to check if your PC or ipod is infected is to download a virus scanner (if you do not have one already installed), there are many free virus scanners available and most new PCs already have these automatically installed. In 99% of cases your iPod will be virus free but it is still best to check. Simply attach your ipod to your PC and run the virus scan.

Your anti virus software will then perform the checks and inform you of any viruses that are resident on your pc/iPod. After the removal of any viruses you should use the very latest version of i-tunes to reinstall the software on your iPod. The ravmone.exe virus is attracted to storage devices and you should also scan all storage devices on your PC just to be sure.

Author Debra Warwick spends most of her spare time at her MP3 site: iPod Accessories

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5 Questions to Resolve the iPod versus Zune Dilemma

2009-03-12T05:37:00.000-10:00

IPod has been the master of the MP3 player world for several years now but of course Zune was introduced in recent months. Both are solid contenders in the MP3 corner of the home electronics world so buyers now have a choice.

With choice sometimes comes confusion for buyers.

The decision as to which MP3 player is the better buy is completely dependent upon the individual consumer's preferences. Price is not a deciding factor between the two as both iPod and Zune have 30GB models which come in at $249. As a result there are basically 5 questions that need to be answered to determine a buyer's top priorities and whether iPod or Zune is the device of choice.

• Is a huge capacity/storing the most songs possible critical?

For now iPod has more options than Zune, with Shuffle, Nano, and others including models with 60 and 80GB capacities while Zune currently offers only the 30GB model.

• Is playing video on an MP3 player one of the most prized features?

If the answer is yes, Zune may have a bit of an advantage as it boasts a larger screen. The 2.5" iPod screen is noticeably smaller than Zune's 3.0" screen. Both offer the same resolution; 320×240 and the same aspect ratio: 4:3.

• Is having the smallest, lightest possible MP3 Player a goal?

If tiny is a top priority then iPod will be more attractive as it is thinner, shorter, and lighter than the current Zune offering.

• What music selection choices are most desirable?

For the selection of downloads, iPod is the champ offering the largest bank of music from which to select. The Zune store offers 2,000,000 titles while iPod offers in the neighborhood of 3,500,000. On the other hand, Zune boasts a built in FM radio receiver which opens the door to an entirely different listening opportunity, one that iPod does not currently offer.

• Is wireless connectivity a priority in an MP3 player?

Unlike current iPod models, Zune is WiFi enabled although it is limited. With Zune users can share a song with someone nearby. The person receiving the song can listen to it for 3 days but then must buy it to continue to enjoy the song. Unfortunately, Zune is still unable to sync with a PC. It may not be much, but if sharing is important, Zune is a step ahead.

Anytime top manufacturers enter an arena with a new, competing device consumers are faced with decisions that aren't always clear or easy to make. In the end however, the consumers are the winners as options expand and competition pushes industry giants to develop even better products. The competition between iPod and Zune is sure to heat up the market for MP3 players for years to come.

Christine Peppler believes that consumers should not have to possess a technology degree to be able to choose home electronics and entertainment devices. Take advantage of the wealth of simple to understand, useful information and shopping available on her website at http://www.homemedias.info

Google Adds Images And Related Search Suggestions To Search Results

2009-03-10T01:13:00.002-10:00

From Google Labs Experimental Search testing to live search results, Google has added two additions to help find what you are searching for, in the form of images and suggested related search phrases.

These features seem to based on Google previous experiments, where search results returned images and related search phrases or words that were displayed in boxes at the top of the search result pages. But to find these new search features, you need to scroll to the bottom of the results to find them.

For Webmasters looking to get their web sites listed on the top of Google's first page, adding these additions to the bottom of returned search pages will force searchers to look beyond just the first few sites listed and visit sites that normally would not be seen.

For everyday users of Google, these features can add more value by targeting and finding searches around the Internet.

Similar to how suggestions work when entering a search term in Google's search box:

A search for "dog treats" will have related search suggestions displayed at the bottom of the page, with phrases or words that you may not have thought of when searching for dog treats.

Clicking on a related search phrase will narrow your search and return additional search results from Google's index that will be more targeted to your initial search.

Using the same search phrase as above, images are also displayed helping you see if your searches….looks like what you are searching for:

Clicking on the link Image results for dog treats will search and return more images of the phrase, while clicking on the individual images will display the web site where the image was found by Google.

Hopefully the images are exactly what you are searching for!

How To Track Which Keywords Are Popular For Your Web Site Using Google Analytics

2009-03-10T01:13:00.001-10:00

Tracking web site statistics
is an important tool for Webmasters with understanding their web site performance. Knowing how your visitors arrived to your site and which popular keywords they click can help with conversion and sales. Using tools such as Google Analytics can help provide this information.

If you never used Google Analytics, you can sign up for free with any email account. After logging on , add your website by clicking the Add Website Profile (circled in below screen shot) follow the instructions for adding the code to your site pages. After 24 hours data will appear for your site. If you are unsure how to add code to your site, visit Google Analytics Help for instructions.

Tracking Popular Keywords

After data has been collected from your site, you can view which keywords are popular for your site. Select View Reports link next to your Domain name (see above screen shot). In the Reports dashboard, a statistical overview of your site is displayed.

- First select the Date Range you want to view by selecting day, month or year from the calendar (left nav bar at bottom).

- In the All Reports section (above calendar), navigate to Marketing Optimization \ Marketing Campaign Results and click on Source Conversion. In the right window pane, you will see the top ten Sources for your Site. To view which keywords are popular, select a Source by clicking on the up arrow then navigate to, Cross Segment Performance \ Keyword.

In the example above I have selected google[organic] as the Source to view which keywords or phrases visitors are selecting to find my site.

TIPS:

Clicking on the pie chart will display the percentage per slice for each keyword.
To scroll through all keywords found, use the Prev << and >> Next links.
You change the view from pie chart to bar graph by using the toggle circled in above screen shot.
The data can be exported as Tab Separated (Text), XML, or CSV (Excel) as shown by the red arrow in above screenshot

If Google Analytics has been collecting data over time, you can compare months of data at once by using the calendar and selecting any date ranges, or a comparison of two dates or ranges. Click on the question mark next to Date Range for specific instructions for displaying date ranges.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool compared to Awstats reporting in your Cpanel web host account. Having the ability to have data presented graphically is easier to understand how your web site is performing and what pages are popular with your visitors. All of which will add up to more conversions and sales!

For more information, see Which Articles Are Popular On Your Website Using Google Analytics.

How Expired Domain Names Can Benefit Your Business With Targeted Traffic

2009-03-10T01:12:00.000-10:00

For many webmasters finding traffic to your web site is key to surviving online. For others, finding targeted traffic is the key to being successful. Paid advertisement and buying links is one way to generate targeted traffic. Through the research of keywords and knowledge of your marketplace, you create a greater chance of bringing highly qualified visitors to your site who are ready to buy and eliminate the ones looking for freebies.

Expired domain names is an often overlooked method of generating targeted traffic. Consider how much you pay to advertise and drive traffic to your site, along with the time, effort and testing, then compare it to finding qualified traffic that already exists.

With an expired domain, you can take advantage of the previous owners hard work they put in over time that drove traffic to their site. Just because a site is no longer around doesn't mean they lose their value and disappear from other sites and search engines.

How do you determine if a domain name has value and can benefit your Business? With a combination of indicators. These indicators are the same ones that you are familiar with when researching ways to bring traffic to your site.

Relevancy and Branding Potential - Finding expired domains with existing traffic has many benefits. Finding one with keywords that is relevant to your Business is a bonus. Type-in traffic can be a huge bonus. Go to any search engine and type dogs.com and you will find a great example. Consider the branding potential effect this will have with your site.

Existing Links and Link Popularity - checking for links is accomplished the same way you check your site links by typing the domain name in the search engines, using the operator Site command or tools. Chances are very good if the domain has been around, many links will exist.

The type of link is critical. Obviously if the only results displayed is from the domain itself, it has no value. But if they are on active web sites pages with good content and not buried on reciprocal link pages, the chances of that link getting clicks is good. Especially if it is on a home page. What are the chances of getting your link on a web site home page…or the cost?

Rankings - rankings come in many forms such as page rank, Alexa ranks, and so on. It's true that overtime an expired domain web pages will lose it's page rank, you will be surprised that it may not have lost all of it's rankings. While rankings may not mean what they use to, the perception of their value is still something that many people still refer to with web sites.

Traffic - using Alexa can be a useful indicator of a site traffic. If the domain is still being reported, you can find what sites are linking to the expired domain and see if it is still reporting traffic.

Viewing The Expired Domain - Viewing how a website looked is key to determine relevancy and if the traffic will be targeted. The WayBackMachine also known as the Internet Archive, provides insight into the history of the site. Sometimes a domain name itself may not be an indicator of a sites topic. Having the ability to view the site may be an eye opener for topics and keywords you may never have considered that the site was built on.

Seeing the additional traffic possibilities that can exist with expired domains, what can you do with it? After redirecting it to your site, the traffic can be used for list building or create pages on your site with the same name found in the search engines. How about building a site or blog with the domain name, and use it to gain link popularity to your main site.

By acquiring expired domains you have the opportunity take advantage of the effort, time and money other people put into a domain and use it as another method to drive traffic to your site. Not just traffic but targeted traffic.

Interested? Visit sites like pool.com and snapnames.com that allow you to search or download a list of expiring domains names for free, and add another method of driving targeted traffic to your site.

Using Google Analytics To Track Which Articles Are Popular On Your Website

2009-03-10T01:11:00.000-10:00

Tracking web site statistics
is an important tool for Webmasters with understanding their web site performance. Knowing which pages receive the most traffic can help with conversion and sales. An example, is tracking which articles are most viewed by visitors on your site. One tool that can help provide this information is Google Analytics.

If you never used Google Analytics, you can sign up for free with any email account. Once you have logged on, add your website as shown below and follow the instructions for adding the code to your site pages. (NOTE-it will take up to 24 hours for data to appear in your account). If you are unsure how to add code to your site, visit Google Analytics Help for instructions.

Tracking Popular Articles

When data has been collected from your site, you can view which articles are popular on your site by clicking on View Reports, and selecting the date range from the Calendar in the lower left hand corner. Then navigate to All Reports - Content Optimization - Content Performance - Content By Titles:

This view lists 10 of your most popular articles on your site. The statistics Unique Views displays the number of visits during which this page (determined by the combination of URI and title) was viewed. Pageviews is the number of times the page was viewed.

To fully understand how visitors are reaching the articles, you can dig deeper and see which keywords are bringing the visitors to your site. Simply click on the up arrow next to an article and navigate to, Cross Segment Reporting - Keyword.

Looking at the number of Visits, you can see the most visits are with (no data). This is because no data represents visitors who found the page from a referral link. The remaining statistics represent pages that were found from organic searches (looks like I need to work on my organic search results!).

Backup Your Web Site Home Directory Without Connecting To CPanel

2009-03-10T01:09:00.000-10:00

For many webmasters, backing up their web sites is a task that is often neglected. If the server your site is hosted on crashes or you accidentally delete files, do you have a current backup to get your site restored quickly when the server is back online or if you need to switch hosts?

Downloading site backups is the safety net your business depends on when the unexpected occurs.

Having up to date backups is critical in minimizing downtime and lost revenue. Automated backup solutions exist, but if you are looking for a quick and simple way to download a backup with one click, the following script is all you need.

Two versions of the script exist, one for Windows platform and another for Linux running the bash shell. For Windows, you can use Internet Explorer or Firefox. The Linux script was written for Firefox, but can be changed to use other browsers.

These scripts can be easily modified by adding other commands and automated using a scheduler, but the intention was to provide a simple one click process to download backups without the need to connect to CPanel and navigate to the backup section.

The only interaction required is logging on to the host when prompted and selecting a folder to download.

Windows Instructions

Create a file on your desktop and give it a name with .bat extension - yourdomain.bat and copy the script into it.
Modify yourdomainname at set hostname=yourdomain.com to your site domain name.
Modify 1234 at set port=1234 to the port number you use to connect to your site CPanel
If you use Firefox, add REM in front of "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" and remove REM in front of "C:\Program Files\Mozilla firefox\firefox.exe"
If you have a MYSQL database, modify dbname at set mysql=dbname to the name of the database and remove REM at the last two lines in the script.

REM #################################################################
REM Web Host Admin Tip from http://operation4u.blogspot.com
REM #################################################################
@echo off

set HOSTNAME=yourdomainame
set PORT=1234
set MYSQL=database

for /f "tokens=2-4 delims=/ " %%a in ('DATE/T') do set MDATE=%%c%%a%%b
for /f "tokens=2-4 delims=/ " %%a in ('DATE/T') do set MM=%%a
for /f "tokens=2-4 delims=/ " %%a in ('DATE/T') do set DD=%%b
for /f "tokens=2-4 delims=/ " %%a in ('DATE/T') do set YY=%%c
IF %MM:~0,1%==0 SET MM=%MM:~1%
IF %DD:~0,1%==0 SET DD=%DD:~1%
set CDATE=%MM%-%DD%-%YY%
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" https://%HOSTNAME%:%PORT%/getbackup/backup-%HOSTNAME%-%cdate%.tar.gz
REM "C:\Program Files\Mozilla firefox\firefox.exe" https://%hostname%:%port%/getbackup/backup-%HOSTNAME%-%cdate%.tar.gz
REM @ping -n 11 127.0.0.1>nul
REM "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" https://%HOSTNAME%:%PORT%/getsqlbackup/%MYSQL%.gz
REM "C:\Program Files\Mozilla firefox\firefox.exe" https://%HOSTNAME%:%PORT%/getsqlbackup/%MYSQL%.gz
exit

Linux Instructions

Modify the variables hostname and port to your domain name and port used to access CPanel
If you have a MYSQL database, un-comment # at the line for the MYSQL Firefox command. Modify the mysql variable to the name of the database.

#!/bin/sh
# - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
# Web Host Admin Tip from http://operation4u.blogspot.com

# - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
HOSTNAME=yourdomain.com
PORT=1234
MYSQL=dbname
mdate=`date +%Y%m%d`
MM=`date -u '+%m'`
DD=`date -u '+%d'`
cdate=`date +%Y-${MM#0}-${DD#0}`
echo ${cdate}
/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -ProfileManager https://%hostname%:%port%/getbackup/backup-%hostname%-%cdate%.tar.gz
# /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -ProfileManager https://%hostname%:%port%/getsqlbackup/%mysql%.gz
exit 0

Does Your Business Have a .tv Domain?

2009-03-10T01:08:00.000-10:00

Surfing on the Net (literally) now has a new meaning. Just check out an example at HTTP://www.surfing.tv and see for yourself.

As stated on their website, "… video on the Internet grows at lightening speed, the methods for how users find this content is also expanding. The .TV domain provides a unique opportunity for users to find a media-rich Web site of their choice. By using a .TV Web address, companies and individuals can offer online viewers a simple and easily recognizable gateway to finding rich media content on the Internet."

Interesting as it seems, is this some new publicity stunt? What's wrong with .com? It's not broken. Does a .tv domain really distinguish a Business from the rest of the Internet? Google for ".tv domain" and the results you will get are Domain Registrars. Google for ".tv and if your lucky you may find a .tv domain in the millions of TV choices that exist.

I always find it interesting that if Google does not display what your finding, you either misspelled your phrase or Google does not know about it. Then again, they are the gatekeepers of the Internet (enough said on that subject : -) With that being said, there is no real advantage for a Business to purchase a .tv domain, because the real market these days is marketing to Google. Master it, and you will be on page one.

For me, I'm sticking with free Satellite TV on my PC. and surf the old fashion way…with channels.

See you on the Net.

How To Kill Windows Processes That Won't Die

2009-03-10T00:59:00.001-10:00

Ever have an application that just hangs and never returns to normal or terminate?

So you open up Windows Task Manager, find the application process, right click on it and select End Process.

Nothing happens! The process is still running and the dead application continues to cause high CPU utilization to the point where you can't do much with your computer.

You repeat the process. Nothing again. One more time…that process just won't terminate and die.

Now what?

Well, having pesky processes, that refuse to terminate and continues to hog CPU cycles, can be frustrating to the point where you just want to hit the power button and shut down. But that's too risky and more times than not will cause loss of data or system boot problems.

What you need is a utility that can kill and terminate stubborn processes, the first time, using PsKill from Microsoft Sysinternals.

PsKill requires no installation and is a stand alone executable that is run from the command line. It can kill process locally or remotely. PsKill is bundled with Sysinternals PsTools which is a collection of command line tools for Windows computers.

To use PsKill, you want to get things setup first:

Download PsTools from Microsoft site, and unzip to your desktop.

Open the PsTools folder and copy pskill.exe to your System32 folder. The reason for this is that pskill will be in your executable environment path so you can just type the command, with out specifying the full path to the folder and file location.

Next open Task Manager (right click on the taskbar then select Task Manager ) and make sure the PID column is visible (may need to use horizontal scroll bar to scroll to the right to see PID column).

If it is not visible, click on View \ Select Columns… and make sure PID (Process Identifier) is checked and select OK.

Now the next time you have an application that is hanging, and it's process will not end from Task Manager, make note of the process PID number in Task Manager.

Then open up a command prompt (click on Start \ Run and enter cmd in the run box) and type the following command:

pskill 1680

(just substitute 1680 with your PID number that you want terminated).

The process WILL terminate freeing your computer from application hell.

You should be able to re-open the application again. But be careful, killing processes this way may cause data loss with the application that was terminated (such as if you were using a text editor or Microsoft Word).

At least you won't have to reboot

Find Out When You Last Accessed Windows Programs Or Aplications

2009-03-10T00:58:00.002-10:00

Over time, your computer will accumulate numerous items, such as files, folders, applications or programs. While you can easily identify when a folder or file was accessed or modified simply by using Windows Explorers, identifying when applications or programs where last accessed, isn't as easy to find.

Unless you know where to look…

Windows provide an easy way to vew this information, with out needing to install anything by using Add or Remove Programs in XP or with Programs and Features in Vista.

Viewing Last Accessed Information In XP

To view when applications or programs were last accessed in Windows XP, open up Add or Remove Programs by clicking on: Start \ Run and enter appwiz.cpl .

Or, using the long way, click on Start \ Settings \ Control Panel \ Add or Remove Programs .

Once Add or Remove Programs window has open, by default all installed programs are sorted by name. To view last accessed information, click on the Sort by: pull down arrow and select Date Last Used selection.

Here you be able to view when programs were last accessed, which can help if you are want to clean up your computer.

Also notice that not all programs in the last will provide this information. The reason for this is that not all programs installed can be accessed as a single program (such as patches, resource kits, etc) or some have never been access.

If you are using this information because you want to cleanup your hard drive, use discretion when removing programs and always make a backup first.

Viewing Last Accessed Information In Vista

Vista provides the same information but it's not easy to find how to display it. Click on: Start \ Run and enter appwiz.cpl

Or click on Start and type program in the search field and select Programs and Features from the list.

In the Uninstall or change a program window, right click on the Name column and select More…

In the Choose Details window,click on the check box next to Last Used On and click the OK button.

Depended on what columns are selected and how they are sorted, your view of last accessed programs will look similar to the following screenshot:

The view can be sorted in ascended or descending order by clicking on the Last Used On column.

Just like XP, the same reason applies for why some programs do not display any information on when they were last used.

How To Create A Windows Batch File To Map Multiple Drives At Once

2009-03-10T00:58:00.001-10:00

Mapping a drive to a share on a remote computer can be a big time saver when you need to access files and folders remotely. Using Windows Explorer, you can easily map the drive to the share on a remote computer when needed.

But what if you need to map multiple drives at once, or you want to always map the drive when you logon to your computer?

The best solution is to create a batch file that you can click on, when you need to map the drives, or copy it to your Windows user account Startup folder so the drives are mapped automatically during logon.

To map drives using a batch file, we'll need to use the net use command. At it's simplest form, the command looks like this:

net use [devicename | *] [\\computername\sharename

where:

devicename = the dive letter for the map drive

computername = is the computeer wher the share exists

sharename = is the name of the share

So to create a batch file that will map a drive to different computers that are sharing folders, we'll use the following commands:

net use W: \\computer1\MP3

net use X: \\computer2\Photos

Note: you can asssign any drive letter you want, as long as it is not in use by your computer (for example A or C drives).

What About Authentication?

Using the commands above to map drives, assumes that the account you are logged on as, exists on the remote computer where the shared folder is located, or if you are at work, is part of a Windows Domain.

If you need to authenticate when mapping the drive, we'll need to use an account that exists on the remote computer or in a Windows Domain, and add it onto the net use command as shown below:

net use [devicename | *] [\\computername\sharename password /USER:username

Therefore the command will look like this when used in a batch file:

net use W: \\computer1\MP3 mypassword /USER:mary

net use X: \\computer2\Photos mypassword /USER:bob

If an error occurs (unknown user name), you will need to use the /USER switch with the domainname option as follows:

net use W: \\computer1\MP3 mypassword /USER:mydomain\mary

If the remote computer is not part of a Domain, and is part of a Workgroup, then substitute the Domain for the name of the remote computer (where the user account resides).

net use W: \\computer1\MP3 mypassword /USER:computer1\mary

Creating The Batch File

Ok, now that we know how to use the net use command, let's create the batch file.

First, open up Notepad or your favorite text editor.
Next, copy the commands as shown below and paste them into the file. Don't forget to modify the net use command with the drive letter you want to use, the name of the Computer and share you want to map a drive to, and password and account name (if needed).

ECHO Begin Mapping Drives
net use W: \\computer1\MP3 mypassword /USER:mary
net use X: \\computer2\Photos myrealpassword /USER:bob
exit

Then save the file with any name and a .bat extension (make sure it's NOT saved using .txt as the file type extension), to a location where you can easily access it (such as your Desktop).
When you need to map the drive(s), just double click on it.

A Word About Security

Now, realize when using the net use command and hard coding passwords, make sure you understand that you are at risk if anyone gains access to the batch file. You don't want to create the batch file at work and save it to a File Server.

Use common sense, and don't be careless.

How To Make A File Un-Write-able In Windows

2009-03-10T00:57:00.000-10:00

Here's a quick tip if you have a file that you may not want anyone to change the contents or modify. In other words make the file read only.

Now this is not something that will completely prevent someone from changing the contents of the file, but I find it to be useful, more like a reminder) in situations where I want to prevent myself from changing the file accidentally.

After you have created the file (it can by any kind of file with any kind of extension), just right click on the file and select Properties.

In the Properties window, towards the bottom, click on the check box next to Read-only then click on OK to save the setting.

When you do try to save the file after making changes, you will see the following error message:

To not save the file, click OK (for the error message), then close the file and select Don't Save.

With the Read-only attribute set, any changes to the file will be prevented until you un-check the setting for the file.

Using The Command Prompt

If you prefer to use the command line to set the Read-only attribute, use the following command at the prompt:

attrib +r filename

To reset the Read-only attribute (remove it and make the file writable again), use the following command at the prompt:

attrib -r filename

Remember to replace filename with the actual name of the file.

Once you have set the Read-only attribute, it will remain even when you copy the file to another location on your computer or to another Windows computer.

Remember, this method is not a substitute for any kind of security, but is a nice solution…when you want to prevent yourself from modifying files that you don't want changed.

Use Vista Windows Explorer Filters To Find Different File Types In Large Folders

2009-03-10T00:56:00.002-10:00

One change in Vista's Windows Explorer that I really like is the addition of filters. Filters allow you to choose how you want contents of a folder displayed, which makes finding files much easier, especially in large folders and sub-folders. One example of using filters is when you need to find files by their file type extension (exe, mp3, doc, etc…).

What's cool about using filters to find files of the same type, is that you don't need to know the file extension name and you can group and sort them, which allows you to easily view the files of the same type.

To see how you can use the file type filter, just open Windows Explorer by doubling clicking on My Computer or any folder shortcut on your desktop and navigate to a folder that you want to find a specific file.

Now, mouse over on the "Type" column and you will notice an arrow will appear.

Clicking on the drop down arrow will display a list of programs that you can select to view by it's file type.

Take notice, that Vista filtering system only displays the programs that are present in the folder. This let you choose only the program file type you are looking for, with out needing to scroll through a long list of programs.

Also, you are not limited to selecting only one file type, You can make multiple sections using the check boxes.

To make it easier to view the selected files, click on the Group icon so the files of the same type are group together (also notice that the number of files are listed next to the program name).

To help you remember that you have a filter set, Vista will display a check mark next to column name (in our example this is the Type column).

When you are finished, and want to turn a filter off, you can un-do the settings you made by deselecting the check boxes to return the view to normal.

Using Windows Explorer filters in Vista, makes organizing your files much easier by changing how the content of folders are displayed. Once you get the hang of it, finding files becomes a whole lot easier.

Want to see what else is new with Windows Explorer? Check out 12 Hidden Windows Explorer Tricks.

How To Display List Of Hotfixes Installed On Your Windows XP Or Vista Computer

2009-03-10T00:56:00.001-10:00

One thing is for sure with Windows XP and Vista computers, over time you will have installed many hotfixes and a service pack or two from Windows Update. For many people, you may not have to worry about which updates are being applied to your system

But what if one day, you need to verify if a hotfix has been installed on your computer. One way you can check is to open up Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel.

As you can see, viewing updates from Add or Remove Programs don't offer much information for each update and is pretty useless. Instead there are better alternatives that provides more useful hotfix and service pack information installed on your system.

View Hotfixes On Windows XP

For XP systems, an excellent portable freeware utility called WinUpdatesList from nirsoft.net, provides an easy to use interface that displays a list of all Windows updates (Service Packs and Hotfixes) installed on your computer.

To run the program, download the zip file from http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wul.html (scroll to bottom of page and click on "Download WinUpdatesList in zip file "). Now unzip the file, wul.zip , then double click on wul.exe to launch the utility.

WinUpdatesList list all hotfixes and service packs that have been installed, who installed the update and when it was installed. You can sort the list by clicking on any column. For example, to view by date, click on Installation Date column. Scrolling over to the right, reveals more information such as Web Link for each update and the uninstall Command.

Clicking on an update in the list displays all the files associated with the update in the lower pane including version information and file path. To display detailed information, right click on an update in the upper pane, and select Open Web Link. Your browser will open and display the knowledge base article on Microsoft web site for the update.

WinUpdatesList also allows you to search for an update (select Edit \ Find from menu) and can print a report by selecting View \ HTML Report .

View Hotfixes On Windows Vista

Unfortunately WinUpdatesList has not been updated for Vista yet. But you can get similar information by clicking on the Start menu and searching for update (from Start menu). In the search results, click on Windows Update.

Then in the left navigation pane, click on the View update history link.

You will then see all the updates that have been installed on your Vista computer and you can sort them by clicking on the Date Installed column or view all successful and failed update installations by clicking on the Status column.

Although Windows Update does not provide as much information as WinUpdatesList, it does provide the capability to view the knowledge base article on Microsoft web site, by right clicking on an update and selecting View details.

Then click on the link under More information to open up the knowledge base article.

Now that you know how to view installed updates on your XP or Vista computer, it can be usefull for times when you are having problems and need to verify which updates are installed.

Top 10 Windows Built-In Command Line Tools

2009-03-10T00:55:00.001-10:00

For many Windows users, the thought of using the Command Prompt is either a scary experience or something that they will never need. But for some, the command prompt is a powerful tool that can be far more useful than many graphical tools available in Windows.

Being a System Administrator, I constantly use the command prompt, mostly because I access systems remotely and many tasks can be performed quickly with out the graphics over head (even though connecting via Terminal Server is very convenient).

So if you are an avid user of the command line, here are my top 10 built-in (non third party) command line tools for XP, Vista and WIndows server versions (remember these commands are not your typical tools, such as find, copy, move, dir, etc..).

1 - systeminfo - Have a need to display operating system configuration information for a local or remote machine, including service pack levels? Then systeminfo is the tool to use. When I need to connect to a system that I am not familiar with, this is the first tool I run. The output of this command gives me all the info I need including: host name, OS type, version, product ID, install date, boot time and hardware info (processor and memory). Also knowing what hot fixes are installed can be a big help when troubleshooting problems. This tool can be used to connect to a machine remotely using the following syntax: SYSTEMINFO /S system /U user

2 - ipconfig - This tool may be most useful tool for viewing and troubleshooting TCP/IP problems. It's capability includes release or renew an adapter IP Address, display and flush DNS cache, re-register the system name in DNS. WIth Vista and some server versions, ipconfig includes support for IPv6.

Some examples when usinging ipconfig.

To view all TCP/IP information, use: ipconfig /all
To view the local DNS cache, use: ipconfig /displaydns
To delete the contents in the local DNS cache, use: ipconfig /flushdns

3 - tasklist and taskkill - If you are used to Windows Task Manager, then you'll find tasklist very easy to use. This tool displays a list of currently running processes, including image name, PID (Process ID) and memory usage on local or remote machines. Using the /V switch displays more information in verbose mode that includes, CPU Time, user name, and modules. Tasklist includes a filter option to display a set of task based on the criteria specified. But the best use of the filter is using it to display programs running inside svchost.exe process.

Of course, there will be times when a process needs to be killed and taskkill can be used to terminate those trouble processes. A single or multiple processes can be killed using the PID (/PID ) or image name (/IM ). Here are two examples for doing just that:

TASKKILL /IM notepad.exe
TASKKILL /PID 1230 /PID 1241 /PID 1253 /T

Both tasklist and taskkill can connect to remote systems using the /S (system name) /U (user name) switches.

4 - netstat - Need to know who (or what) is making a connection to your computer? Then netstat is the tool you want to run. The output provides valuable information of all connections and listening ports, including the executable used in the connections. In additon to the above info, you can view Ethernet statistics, and resolve connecting host IP Addresses to a fully qualified domain name. I usually run the netstat command using the -a (displays all connection info), -n (sorts in numerical form) and -b (displays executable name) switches.

5 - type - A lesser known tool to those who don't work with the command prompt. For Administrators, the type command is the perfect tool for viewing text files. But what many people don't know about the type tool, is it's capability to read multiple files at once. For example to view multiple text files, just separate each file with a space:

type firstfile.txt secondfile.txt thirdfile.txt

For files that are large, you can control text scrolling using the more command.

6 - net command - Although this tool is more known as a command, the net command is really like a power drill with different bits and is used to update, fix, or view the network or network settings.

It is mostly used for viewing (only services that are started), stopping and starting services:

net stop server
net start server
net start (display running services)

and for connecting (mapping) and disconnecting with shared network drives:

net use m: \\myserver\sharename
net use m: \\myserver\sharename /delete

Other commands used with net command are, accounts (manage user accounts), net print (manage print jobs), and net share (manage shares).

Below are all the options that can be used with the net command.

To display the complete syntax for each command, just type net help followed by the command - net help use .

7 - nslookup - With the Internet, DNS (Domain Name Service) is the key for allowing us to use friendly names when surfing the web instead of needing to remember IP Addresses. But when there are problems, nslookup can be a valuable tool for testing and troubleshooting DNS servers.

Nslookup can be run in two modes: interactive and noninteractive. Noninteractive mode is useful when only a single piece of data needs to be returned. For example, to resolve google.com:

To use the interactive mode, just type nslookup at the prompt. To see all available options, type help while in interactive mode.

Don't let the help results intimidate you. Nslookup is easy to use. Some of the options I use when troubleshooting are:

set ds (displays detailed debugging information of behind the scenes communication when resolving an host or IP Address).

set domain (sets the default domain to use when resolving, so you don't need to type the fully qualified name each time).

set type (sets the query record type that will be returned, such as A, MX, NS)

server NAME (allows you to point nslookup to use other DNS servers than what is configured on your computer)

To exit out of interactive mode, type exit .

8 - ping and tracert - These tools can be helpful with connectivity to other systems. Ping will test whether a particular host is reachable across an IP network, while tracert (traceroute) is used to determine the route taken by packets across an IP network.

To ping a system just type at the prompt: ping www.google.com. By default, ping will send three ICMP request to the host and listen for ICMP “echo response” replies. Ping also includes switches to control the number of echo requests to send (-n ), and to resolve IP addresses to hostname (-a ).

To use tracert, type at the prompt: tracert www.google.com. You can force tracert to not resolve address to hostnames by using the -d switch, or set the desired timeout (milliseconds) for each reply using -w switch.

9 - gpresult - Used mostly in environments that implement group poicies, gpresults (Group Policy Results) verifies all policy settings in effect for a specific user or computer. The command is simple to use, just enter gpresults at the prompt. It can also be used to connect to computers remotely using the /S and /U switches.

10 - netsh - Without a doubt the most powerful command line tool available in Windows. Netsh is like the swiss army knife for configuring and monitoring Windows computers from the command prompt. It capabilities include:

Configure interfaces
Configure routing protocols
Configure filters
Configure routes
Configure remote access behavior for Windows-based remote access routers that are running the Routing and Remote Access Server (RRAS) Service
Display the configuration of a currently running router on any computer

Some examples of what you can do with netsh:

Enable or disable Windows firewall:

netsh firewall set opmode disable

Enable or disable ICMP Echo Request (for pinging) in Windows firewall:

netsh firewall set icmpsetting 8 enable

netsh firewall set icmpsetting 8 disable

Configure your NIC to automatically obtain an IP address from a DHCP server:

netsh interface ip set address "Local Area Connection" dhcp

(For the above command, if your NIC is named something else, use netsh interface ip show config and replace the name at Local Area Connection).

As you can see netsh can do alot. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, check out the following Microsoft article for more info on netsh.

The use of Windows command line tools can be a powerful alternative when only a command prompt is available. I'm sure there are plenty more commands that I have not mention.

Let us know what your favorite command line tool is and leave a comment below.

How To Control Text Scrolling When Using Windows Command Prompt

2009-03-10T00:54:00.002-10:00

Have you ever entered a command at the prompt only to have the text scroll by so fast that you had no idea what was returned by the command? You can always use the scroll bar to navigate back up (or use your mouse scroll wheel) to see the information returned by the command.

But in some cases, so much text was returned that it exceeds the screen buffer size and rolls off the screen. Especially when you are viewing text files from logs or error outputs.

So how can you control the amount of text that can be viewed from the command prompt? By using the more command.

The more command easily allows you to control scrolling text by stopping the scrolling one page at a time.

Before we get started, the command examples shown below uses the pipe symbol (character) which can be entered by pressing SHIFT+Backspace (above ENTER key).

Now that's out of the way, let's continue.

Say you wanted to list the contents of the System32 directory while viewing the results one page at a time. Just enter the following command at the prompt.

dir c:\windows\system32 | more

And the text will stop scrolling at the first page. To continue scrolling, press the Space bar once, for each time you want to scroll through the pages.

Now that you can scroll one page at a time, you can stop or break out of the more command by pressing the Q key.

To control exactly what you want to see, you can also display or skip how many lines of text you want to view.

To do this, use the following options with the more command:

P n Display next n lines
S n Skip next n lines

For example using the above dir (directory) command, after the first page of text has stopped scrolling, instead of pressing the Space bar, press either the P or S key (depending on if you want to display or skip a number of lines).

You will see the word Lines and a semicolon. To skip the next four lines, press the S key, followed by pressing the number 4 key. Then press Enter.

To display the next four lines, just press P and follow the steps above for skipping lines.

Now that you can control scrolling text from a command, how about displaying text from a file?

To do this, just use the following command syntex.

more filename

For example to view a file named, mycdrive.txt, you would enter the following command at the prompt:

more mycdrive.txt

Windows will automatically put you in the more mode and you can use all the commands shown above to control text scrolling.

If you want to view which line you are at in the text file, press the = (equal) key on the keyboard.

If you ever forget what options to use with the more command, just type more /? at the prompt to see all available options.

Now that you know how to control text scrolling, using Windows command prompt has just become a little easier!

Make Windows Expand Control Panel Items In Start Menu

2009-03-10T00:54:00.001-10:00

For me, when it comes to navigating around Windows, the more windows that pop open, the more annoyed I get.

I prefer to just drill down using a menu and expand items in the same window as if I am navigating through the file system while using Windows Explorer.

For example, when clicking on the Start menu and accessing the Control Panel, most of the time I know the item I want to access. Instead, the default setting in Windows is for another window (dialog box) to open displaying all Control Panel items that you need to navigate.

So, to avoid having yet another window open, you can easily force Windows to display the Control Panel items as a menu when using the Start menu.

Just right click on the Start icon in the taskbar (or the Windows Orb in Vista) and select Properties.

In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties page, click on the Customize… button.

If your settings are like mine above (if not, see Classic Start menu below), you will see the same screen listed below. Just scroll down to the Control Panel section and click on the radio button next to Display as a menu. Click OK twice to save setting and close both windows.

NOTE: In XP click on the Advanced tab to access the options.

If you are using the Classic Start menu, click on the Customize… button and then click the check box next to Expand control panel. Click OK twice to save setting and close both windows.

Now, instead of having another window open when clicking on the Control Panel in the Start menu, all items will be displayed in a menu allowing you to click on any item.

No more extra window opening up to annoy you!

Use Windows Vista Hidden Tool For Finding Performance Issues

2009-03-10T00:53:00.000-10:00

No matter what you think about Windows Vista, one thing is for sure. The built-in tools are a big improvement over Windows XP.

The Reliability and Performance Monitor is great example of how quickly you can get a birds eye view of CPU, Disk, Network, and Memory components in one interface.

But surprisingly, another advanced performance utility exist where many people fail to take advantage of, that can easily identify performance issues with your VIsta system.

This tool starts with Vista's Windows Experience Index (WEI), which is a new feature built into Vista that is designed to help you understand how well Vista and other software will perform on your PC.

So let's first fire up Windows Experience Index, by clicking on Start and search for system then click on it in the search results to open.

In the System dialog box, you will see your WEI score (don't worry about the score, it's mostly Microsoft fluff). What you want, is to find any performance issues with your system. To do that click on the Windows Experience Index link next to the WEI score.

Then in the next window that pops up, click on the Advanced tools link in the Tasks pane (left side).

Ok, now we're getting to the real strength of Vista performance monitoring. If you have been experiencing performance problems, you can view all the issues at the top of this dialog box. For example, on my System, Vista's diagnostics has identified performance issues caused by visual settings.

Clicking on the link another opens a dialog box with suggestions to improve performance. I can also click on the Remove from list button if I feel this is no longer an issue or don't want to be bother by the message again.

While my example may not be the best, I've seen other Vista systems report drivers issues that cause hibernation or sleep issues. In those cases clicking on the link will display detailed information about the driver causing the problem such as the name and file name of the driver, manufacturer, and the time it took to hibernate.

With this information, you can look for an updated driver or change settings that can restore and improve performance.

Is Vista's Performance Advanced tools perfect? No, but it is a giant leap for taking the guess work out troubleshooting issues with your system. If anything it will point you in the right direction to fixing those annoying problems.

Windows Tip - Monitor Your Hardware Temperature With HWMonitor

2009-03-10T00:52:00.002-10:00

With many innovations being made to today's PC's hardware, laptops
and desktops have become much smaller and lighter. But one drawback to that light weight convenience is heat.

Computers today can pack more processing power in a much smaller and denser space, if you don't keep them cool, you can pretty much guarantee a hardware failure will occur.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to keep tabs on hardware temperature using a free utility called CPUID.

HWMonitor from CPUID software is a hardware monitoring program that reads your PC Systems main health sensors, such as voltages, temperatures and fans speed. I mostly use it on my home PC to keeps tabs just on temperature since I use a laptop.

HWMonitor requires no installation and is a true portable application (does not copy files or create folders on your hard drive, or writes to the registry).

To run it, just launch HWMonitor.exe.

HWMonitor will display the current temperature along with the minimum and maximum values. If your system is capable of displaying voltages and fan speeds, you will also see those valuse displayed (my system does not).

The program can also handle the most common sensor chips, such as ITE IT87 series, most Winbond® ICs, and others. In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature.

HWMonitor can be run right off your USB stick and is handy to have when troubleshooting. The only feature missing, is the capability to minimize to the system tray.

CPUID also makes other utilities including PCWizard that can analyze and benchmark your PC, and includes a powerful inventory feature that is useful if you need to re-install Windows (check out Need To Reinstall Windows? Take Hardware And Software Inventory Before Starting for more information).

HWMonitor can be downloaded at CPUID website.

How To Troubleshoot And Fix Common Windows Problems

2009-03-10T00:52:00.001-10:00

Nothing can be more frustrating than having a problem with your Computer. Not knowing the exact cause of the problem can be even more frustrating as you spend hours searching around the Internet only to find incomplete answers that may or may not fix the problem.

You know the kind of problems that drive you nuts, CPU spikes bogging down performance at unexpected times, memory leaks sucking up available memory, hard drive constantly thrashing and slowing your computer down to a crawl, disk space disappearing into thin air and no where to be found, start up times taking forever than your patience can handle. I'm sure there is plenty more than what I can list here.

Many of you have down that road where you either bite the bullet and take it to a repair shop (knowing it's going to cost you an arm and a leg) or you just live with the annoying problem day after day, reboot after reboot.

Then there's always the least desirable fix, starting all over and reinstall Windows (no thanks).

In reality, many computer problems can simply be found with proper diagnostics that pin point the problem and make finding a solution much easier.

And that's exactly what the repair shops do. The only difference with the repair shop and you, are the tools they use.

But that's not the worst part of it. Most of the tools they use are free. So why are they charging you $75, $100 or more to get your PC running smoothly again? Because they can.

I must confess that I charged clients the same fee per hour to fix their computers. But I also give them the tools so they can save themselves a repair bill down the road.

And after they use one of tools to fix any new problems that occur, I always get the same response: "…if I only knew about this tool before I spent all that money ". Well there's no reason why you shouldn't have these tool available.

So to help out, I created step-by-step videos that show you the exact tools used by geeks and computer repair shops, and how easy they are to use to troubleshoot and fix annoying Windows problems.

Most of the tools require no installation, all of them are free (don't require reading a manual to use) and will help get your computer running smoothly again. Best of all, you don't need to be a geek to use them.

I'm running a special introductory offer now. The videos can be downloaded immediately. For more details, check out the following link —> Troubleshoot And Fix Windows Problems and don't forget to check out the preview video.

Send Deleted Files Or Folders To The Recycle Bin When Using Windows Command Prompt

2009-03-10T00:51:00.000-10:00

While many tasks can be accomplished in Windows using the GUI (Graphical User Interface), the power of the command prompt far exceeds the capabilities of the GUI in every aspect.

Well…almost everything.

If you use the command prompt often, the one gotcha you always need to keep in mind is with deleting files and folders. Unlike Windows Explorer, deleting items from the command prompt bypasses the Recycle bin and is permanently deleted.

Sure you can use an undelete utility and hope that the file or folder has not been over written by the Operating System. But it would be much more convenient knowing the recycle bin is a double click away for a quick restore of the item.

Unknown to everyone on the planet but Microsoft, as to why the functionality does not exist, you can add this functionality using a third party utility from MaDdoG Software.

The free utility called Recycle does exactly what it's name says, sends files and folders that you want deleted to the recycle bin.

To use it, just download and copy recycle.exe to your Windows\System32 directory.

NOTE: Recycle is actually part of several utilities contained in the zip file. Just unzip the file to copy the utility to your computer.

Instead of using Windows del (delete) command for deleting file or folders, just enter the command as shown in the screen shot.

After pressing enter, a dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the command. To eliminate the dialog box, you can use the -f switch.

recycle.exe -f file.txt

What's cool about Recycle is that you can send multiple files and folders to the recycle bin, just like the delete (del) command. To do so, use the following syntax:

recycle.exe -f filename1 filename2

Or you can use wild cards:

recycle.exe -f fbudget* test.txt *.txt

If you need to restore the file or folder, you can just open the Recycle bin (trash can icon) on the desktop, then right click and Restore the file to it's original location.

Download Recycle.exe Utility From MaDdoG Software

Make Windows Task Manager Display More System Information

2009-03-10T00:50:00.001-10:00

Out of the box, Task Manger provides some useful information in the Process tab for getting a quick snapshot of performance and system activity. But it can display much more than just basic CPU and Memory information.

By making a couple of tweaks in Task Manager, you can get a wealth of useful details, including Process Identifier (PID), CPU Time, Peak Memory usage and Disk writes and reads for each process. With Vista, more functionality has been added to Task Manager that make it much useful than it's predecessor on XP.

As usual, to open Task Manager, either right click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager or press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. On Vista you will be prompted by UAC for access (see Create Shortcuts Without UAC Prompts for an alternative to eliminating some UAC prompts).

Once Task Manager opens, click on the Process tab which will display some basic system information.

To add more columns to the Process tab, click View \ Select Columns from the menu.

As you can see only a few columns are selected, but you can add lot more. Columns are really performance counters which are used to provide information as to how well the operating system, an application, service, or driver is performing. The counter data can help determine system bottlenecks and be used to fine-tune system and application performance.

Which columns should you enable? Below is a list of columns that I usually select (with their definitions):

CPU Time - The total processor time, in seconds, used by the process since it was started.

CPU Usage - The percentage of time the threads of the process used the processor since the last update.

Peak Memory Usage - The peak amount of physical memory resident in a process since it started.

PID (Process Identifier) - Numerical ID assigned to the process while it runs.

I/O Read Bytes - The number of bytes read in input/output operations generated by a process, including file, network, and device I/Os.

I/O Writes Bytes - The number of bytes written in input/output operations generated by a process, including file, network, and device I/Os.

Image Name (selected by default) - Name of the process.

Once you have the columns selected, click OK. The default window size for Task Manager, can be expanded by grabbing the edge (click and hold) and pulling it wider.

With a wider view, you will be able to get a better picture of what's going on under the hood of Windows.

Now, to maximize how Task Manager displays system information, make sure the Show processes from all users is checked at the lower left corner. This will display what process are running under each user account.

Next, I like to re-arrange the columns with the Image Name first, followed by User Name, PID, CPU, Memory (with the rest of the columns arranged depending on what I am monitoring). Also you can sort the columns by clicking on the column heading. This becomes very useful when you are monitoring and troubleshooting problems.

For example, sorting the CPU Usage column will allow you to see which process is using the most resources (click to change from descending to ascending). The same can be done with other columns making it much easier to spot resource hogs.

If needed, the display update frequency can be change by selecting View \ Update Speed on the menu. To stop Task Manager from always sitting on top of other windows, select Options and uncheck Always On Top.

With Vista, more performance counters have been added, including seven memory counters. but the three most useful counters are Image Path Name, Command Line and Description.

Adding these columns, lets you quickly identify what the process is from the Description column, the location of the process from the Image Path Name column, and the exact command used to execute and launch the process from the Command Line column.

Having this type of information at your finger tips, can quickly help identify resources bottlenecks or virus and spyware processes that may be infecting your Computer.

With Vista, these are just some of the improvements made with Task Manager, and in another article, I 'll show you other improvements that make Vista's Task Manager, much more useful than XP's.

As you can see, Task Manager can be a great tool when setup properly. To keep it a click away when you need it, instead of closing down Task Manager just click the minimize button (upper right corner) to have it appear in the System Tray (next to the clock) for easy access.

Prevent Automatic Reboots In Windows After System Crash Has Occurred

2009-03-10T00:49:00.000-10:00

By default Windows enables the OS to automatically restart when a system failure or blue screen of death occurs during the boot process. This can be a real pain when you're trying to write down the error code that is displayed before it restarts, so you can troubleshoot the problem.

To prevent restarts, you can easily disable Windows from automatically restarting during system crashes, and force Windows to display the error code with rebooting.

But what if you have not disabled the setting, and a system failure occurs? How can you force Windows to stop, when the error code is displayed after crashing?

Here's how…

Boot up Windows normally. After the BIOS process has completed (POST process), press and hold "F8" to access the Advanced Options Menu (before Windows displays the loading screen) as shown from XP below. Vista loading screen will look similar).

Note: With some computers if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message beep. If this occurs, just tap the "F8 key" continuously until you get the startup menu.

At the next screen, several menu items will appear. Using the down arrow key, scroll down and highlight "Disable automatic restart on system failure"

Press the Enter key. At the next screen, you will see the selection that automatic restart on system failure will be disabled at the bottom of the screen.

Just select the Operating System to start up and press Enter.

Next time a BSOD happens, Windows will stop at the error message and allow you to view the error code.

If you have trouble getting to the Advanced Options Menu, try turning off your computer. When the computer is turned on the next time Windows should notice that the computer did not successfully boot and give you the Safe Mode screen.

How To Open Command Prompt And Task Manager When Installing Windows

2009-03-10T00:48:00.002-10:00

For the most part, installing Windows, either XP or Vista, from scratch is pretty simple. But on occasion, sometimes the installation cannot find a driver or you may need to perform a task such as check disk space or even run Task Manager.

For times like this, being able to access a command prompt to run commands may seem impossible, but it's actually very easy to do with a simple keyboard shortcut

To open a command prompt during installation, wait until the installation has reached the "Installing Windows" phase.

Then just press SHIFT+F10 and a command prompt will open.

With access to the command prompt, at the early phase of the installation, the Windows and System32 folders are available, allowing access to all Windows commands. This will allow you to use the find command and run a search if needed.

You can even browse the CD from where Windows is being installed by changing directories to the D:\ drive or open up Task Manager (by typing taskmgr at the prompt) and keep an eye on Processes and CPU/Memory utilization (just the little tricks us Sys Admins do to pass time away ).

Now, with Task Manager open, this is where the real power of accessing the file system happens. Just click on File \ New Task (Run…) and click the Browse… button.

And you now have access to a Windows Explorer dialog box, where you can browse the file system.

If you get to the point where you had several Windows open, you can minimize them to the bottom (although as this point no desktop or task bar exist).

By just accessing the command prompt during installation, opens up unlimited possibilities to using commands and browsing the file system. As the installation proceeds, Networking becomes available and the use of consoles (such as Services) can be used.

Know of any more Windows Installation tricks? Let me know by leaving a comment below

Create Keyboard Shortcut To Abort Shutting Down Windows

2009-03-10T00:48:00.001-10:00

It never fails. You just clicked to shutdown Windows and at that very instant, you realize you forgot to copy a file or send an important email.

You think of every way to stop Windows from shutting down, but away it goes….time to restart again.

Fortunately there is an easy way to abort a shutdown (or restart) in Windows using a built-in command and a keyboard shortcut.

First, we'll need to create two shortcuts, one for shutdown and another for abort.

To create the first shortcut, we'll use the shutdown.exe command that is available in XP and Vista. Then we'll create a keyboard shortcut key that will be used to abort shutting down Windows.

Create the first shortcut, for shutdown, by right clicking on the Desktop (shortcut must be created on your Desktop), and select New \ Shortcut.

Then in the 'Type the location of the item text' field enter:

%SystemRoot%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -t 30

NOTE: The %SystemRoot% is a System variable for the location of Windows folder.

Click Next to continue and name the shortcut Shutdown and click Finish.

Create a second shortcut (as shown above), except copy the following command in the 'In the Type the location of the item' text field:

%SystemRoot%\System32\shutdown.exe -a

Then save the shortcut name as Abort.

Now, right click on the Abort shortcut icon, select Properties, and in the Shortcut tab, click in the Shortcut key box (where it says None) and press 'A' on the keyboard. Notice that it automatically enters 'CTRL + ALT + A'.

Now, to abort a shutdown, make sure you double click on the Shutdown shortcut when you want to shutdown your Computer. A window will pop up, similar to the screen shot below (from Vista). During this time, if you need to abort, press CTRL+ALT+A on your keyboard.

That's it!

This will only work when clicking on the Shutdown shortcut. If you shutdown Windows any other way (using the Start menu, CTRL+ALT+DEL, etc…) you cannot abort it using this method.

You can also use other options with the shutdown.exe command, such as restart, logoff, standby and hibernate as well as change the time delay. To see all the options, just open a command prompt and type:

shutdown /?.

Windows Tip: Create A Batch File To Open Multiple Programs At Once

2009-03-10T00:47:00.000-10:00

Ever have the need to open more than one program or application at the same time?

Say it's the beginning of the month and time to pay those dreaded bills. You know you need Excel, Windows calculator and Firefox or Internet Explorer open. Instead of opening them up one by one, you can easily create a batch file that will open all three programs at once.

And while your at it, why not have Excel open the spreadsheet file you use for tracking your budget and the browser open to your Bank's home page. Here's how to do it…

First let's take a look at a batch file I created that will just open Excel, Calculator and Firefox:

NOTE: Examples and file paths are from Windows Vista. XP paths will probably be different for some programs as well as for MS Office (Office 2007 is used in the example).

start /d C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe
start /d "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" firefox.exe
start /d "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12" EXCEL.EXE

Pretty simple.

The above command, start tells Windows to open a separate window to run the specified program.

The /d switch tells start command the path of the program. For starting Excel and Firefox, notice that the paths are in quotes, which is needed when there is a space in the file path.

Now it's great that all three programs open, but since it's time to pay your bills, you need to have Excel open that budget spreadsheet and Firefox open to your Bank home page so you can log on and access you checking account.

Here's how the commands look in the batch file to do this:

start /d C:\Windows\System32\ calc.exe
start /d "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" firefox.exe https://www.bankofamerica.com
start /d C:\finance\spreadsheets budget.xls

To open Bank Of America home page with Firefox, just add the URL to end of the command as shown above using https://www.bankofamerica.com.

To open the Excel spreadsheet, budget.xls you don't need to first open Excel. budget.xls can be opened directly using the start command, as long as the extension or file type is associated to the program.

If you need Firefox to open more than one URL, say to Google, just add the URL like this (make sure you use a space in between URL's):

start /d "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" firefox.exe https://www.bankofamerica.com www.google.com

Now you're probably saying "that's great, but how do I create a batch file?".

That's the easy part.

Just open up Notepad or your favorite text editor.
Copy the commands from above and modify them to use which ever program or Office files you want open. Make sure when you copy file and folder paths that have spaces, to use quotes.
Then save the file with any name and a .bat extension (make sure it's not saved using .txt as the file type extension)

Now when you want to open up multiple programs or applications, just double click on the batch file and you're ready to pay the bills .

Now, if I can only figure out how to get the calculator to open with a million dollars from my checking account….

How To Identify Processes That Cause High CPU Utilization Spikes In Windows

2009-03-10T00:46:00.000-10:00

It seems to never fail, every time a process causes high CPU utilization, it always returns to normal just before you had the chance to identify the process in WindowsTask Manager, it only displays information in real time, which doesn't help if you need to see what just happen a few seconds or a minute ago. Task Manager. Even if you do open

To get around this dilemma, the tool Process Explorer from Microsoft (formally Sysinternals) can display process information that occurred in the past, allowing you to catch the process that's bogging down Windows intermittently.

By default Process Explorer displays updated activity every two seconds (which can be modified). Viewing the CPU graph in System Information mode, you can easily mouse over the spikes which will display the process name, it's PID (Process Identifier), the CPU usage (percent) and the exact time of the spike.

To be able to capture past history, Process Explorer needs to be running, which isn't a problem since it can be minimized in the System Tray.

The next time a process causes a spike, just mouse over the icon in the System Tray and the pop-up will display the process name and percentage of utilization. You can even move the mouse around to view other spikes and identify the process.

While that's cool, it's a small window and sometimes when Windows really bogs down and becomes unresponsive, you may not be able to use the System Tray. This is where Process Explorer really shines.

When CPU utilization returns to normal, and you are actually able to perform a task, right click on the icon (in System Tray) and select System Information.

When System Information opens, press the space bar to pause Process Explorer from updating, and mouse over the spike (or spikes) to identify the process. The graph will display the last twelve minutes of activity.

From here you can open Process Explorer by clicking on it's icon in the System tray, to identify information about the process and it's path location.

In case you're wondering, the red spikes in the graph represent kernel times, while the green spikes are application related.

Another nice feature of Process Explorer is the capability to sort process utilization by clicking on the CPU History column.

TIP: If you don't see the CPU History column, you can add it by clicking on View \ Select Columns… then select the Process Image tab and check the box next to CPU History and click OK.

I'm not sure of the time length that is displayed, but it's a good way to visualize CPU utilization for all processes and pick out the culprits that's slowing down your system.

Now that you know how to catch processes that causes high CPU usage, you will want to make sure that Process Explorer is configured properly for it's update speed.

To do this, click on View \ Update Speed and set it to either one or two second interval. Setting it to anything higher may prevent a process from being captured during quick spikes.

Process Explorer is a stand alone application, requires no installation. and can be downloaded from Microsoft's Sysinternals Technet site.

Process Explorer works on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003, and 64-bit versions of Windows for x64 and IA64 processors, and Windows Vista.

Add A Shortcut On Your Desktop For Creating A System Restore Point In Windows

2009-03-10T00:40:00.000-10:00

As an avid Technology enthusiast, I'm always on the look out for new tools and utilities to use, or finding new ways to squeeze more performance out of my Windows computer with a registry tweak here and there.

As a pre-caution, I usually create a System Restore point just in case something goes wrong. But sometimes, I end up being lazy and skip running System Restore and just wing it.

Just like everyone has experienced at one time or another, being lazy eventually comes back to bite you in the worse way. Sure, it's easy to create a Restore point using System Restore wizard in XP and Vista, but for those lazy times, it's one step too many.

Instead, you can add a shortcut on your desktop that will run and create a System Restore point without any intervention…and eliminate those risky lazy days once and for all.

Searching around on the Internet I found a nice executable that can handle this task just by clicking on a it to create a restore point. It couldn't be any easier.

The script, created by Doug Knox (modified from Bill James original script) is an executable that will run on XP or Vista and requires noinstallationn.

To use it via a shortcut on your desktop:

Download SysRestorePoint_v12.zip (look for 'Works with Windows XP and Windows Vista' note).
Unzip the file and save SysRestorePoint.exe to a folder on your hard drive.
Next, create a shortcut by right clicking on the file SysRestorePoint.exe, and select Send To \ Desktop (create shortcut).

To run it, double click on the shortcut you just created. You will see the following message…

…followed by a confirmation message that the restore point was successfully created.

Now before you guys kill me, by letting me know that the executable can be run from the desktop instead of a shortcut, I usually create shortcuts on the desktop when possible in the event I delete something, by mistake or remove icons with out deleting the source file.

With this handy utility, creating a restore point with out needing to run through the System Restore wizard will save you during those unexpected times!

Resource Library for Identifying Unknown Windows DLL And Process Name

2009-03-10T00:39:00.000-10:00

What's the secret to keeping your Windows PC running at top performance?

A good maintenance schedule to clean out the crapware and daily monitoring (virus and spyware scans) of your computer will always keep your system running smoothly.

But even the most dedicated maintenance and monitoring routines can come to a grinding halt when an unknown process is discovered.

For any seasoned Administrator or someone with lesser experience, unexpected discoveries can have you scratching your head wondering what it is.

For times like these, a resource such as Uniblue's ProcessLibrary.com can be invaluable.

ProcessLibrary provides a detailed online database for windows processes and DLL's while listing everything that should, and should not be running on your computer. Included is a detailed explanation and advice on whether the processes are important for the stability and security of your system.

See something unusual in Task Manager? Before you kill the process or delete a DLL, just run a search.

From the screenshot you can view the detailed description and recommendation along with general information of the process, where it should be located and if it's a security risk.

ProcessLibrary also includes two features. The first is a ProcessScanner that scans
processes on your system and categorizes them by status, security threat performance
requirements, network usage and source.

The second is ProcessQuickLink that hooks directly into Task Manager with a quick search feature to Processlibrary online database. Just click on the green information icon next to a process and it will open your browser to display information of the selected process.

NOTE: Both ProcessScanner and ProcessQuickLink requires Windows 2000, 2003, XP, or Vista.

With over 9000 entries and a huge process directory that you can browse by name, ProcessLibrary is a great resource to add to your system administration toolbox.

Link - http://www.processlibrary.com

Take Before And After Snapshots Of Auto Start Programs In Windows

2009-03-10T00:38:00.002-10:00

Anymore, it seems that every program you install on a Windows computer wants to hook itself into the OS and run at startup. Sooner or later problems may start to occur from slow startups, to no startup, and your left with a mess to fix just to get your computer running smoothly again.

One way to troubleshoot the problem, is to disable each program or application from auto starting, one by one, and keep rebooting until you find the culprit. This can be a chore and take up a lot of your time.

Instead, an easier method I like to use is to take a snapshot of all programs that auto start, before a problem occurs, that I can use when troubleshooting and quickly fix the problem.

Here's how to do it…

The best tool to use for taking before and after snapshots is Sysinternals Autoruns freeware program. Autoruns shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or logon, including the order Windows processes them and the location they reside such as your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys.

Built into Autoruns is a feature that will compare two snapshots of your system and point out the differences. This can be extremely helpful with tracking down problems and fixing them quickly with out needing to reconfigure many settings.

I find it's best to take a snapshot of my Windows computer when the system is running smoothly. This will provide a stable base that I can use to determine what has changed when a problem occurs.

To do this, download Autoruns and run it by double clicking on autoruns.exe (no installation is required).

Then click on File \ Save and give it a name.

Next time a problem occurs and you need to compare what changes have changed since the last snapshot, just open up Autoruns and click on File \ Compare… and select the file you saved in the previous step.

Autoruns will pin point exactly what has changed by highlighting the differences in green.

To troubleshoot:

Verify the program is still installed on your computer by checking the install location that Autoruns shows in the image path column. If not, uncheck it.
If the program is installed, uncheck it from auto starting and reboot to see if the problem is resolved.
If autoruns detects multiple changes from the time the base snapshot was taken, you can uncheck each program one at a time and reboot. When the problem does not occur, you now have found the culpret and can leave it disabled, uninstall it from your system, or run a virus scan.

By default Autoruns does not display Microsoft related entries. To include these entries in your base snapshot, enable them from the Options menu and uncheck "Microsoft related entries".

Also by default, Autoruns shows settings for the current logged on user account settings. If your PC or Server is used by multiple users with separate user accounts, you will need to take a snapshot for each user account. This can be easily done by selecting each account under the User menu.

Knowing what changes were made to your system can help with quick resolution for many Windows startup problems and slow logins. Having the right tool makes troubleshooting that much easier.

Speed Up Windows Boot Times By Delaying Startup Of Services In XP And Vista

2009-03-10T00:38:00.001-10:00

In the never ending quest for speed, as in faster Windows computer start up times, many solutions exist for disabling programs that are set to auto start after logging on to your PC.

But that's only half of the solution.

During the boot up process, Windows also needs to start up a series of services. The more services that need to be started, the longer it will take for your PC to finally display the login screen (unless Windows is set to auto login).

One solution is to disable services that are not needed. Another, is to start up services that need to be running, after Windows has started, Here's how…

Solution 1 - Delay Service Start Up in Vista

Unlike previous versions of Windows, Vista now includes an option to delay the startup of services.

Services that are designated as delayed auto-start still start automatically when the system is started up. However, they are not started during the boot sequence. Instead, they are started shortly after the system has booted. This improves boot performance while still providing these services with an unattended start.

To set it for a particular service, open up the Services console by clicking on Start \ Administrative Tools \ Services (or by typing services into the start menu search box and clicking on Services in the search results).

NOTE: Now before you go and mess around with how Services start up, make sure you understand the purpose of each service. A good source to check is BlackVipers Windows Vista SP1 Service Configurations.

Once you have the Services console open, double click on a service that you want to delay starting, and in the properties window, click on the drop down arrow next to Startup type:.

Select Automatic (Delayed Start) and click OK.

Repeat for any addition services that you want delayed during Windows boot, making sure you're careful with the service selection. Stay away from any internal Windows functions or Networking related services. Stick with application service types (such as my example with VMWare).

Solution 2 - Delay Service Start Up in XP And Vista using Batch Files

Unlike Vista, XP has no built in functionality to delay service start up. Some utilities exist to accomplish this, but the best method I found is to use a batch file that will auto start services after you have logged on.

This method has the benefit of faster boot times, but will also speed up Windows logon time (when most auto start programs are started). Additionally, you can control when a service will start, unlike Vista's delayed auto start feature, which cannot be controlled as to exactly when the service will start.

Note: For Windows XP service definitions and default settings check out Windows Service Pack 2 Service Configurations.

In the batch file example below, the VMWare services on my computer will startup two minutes after I log on.

ECHO Starting Delayed Services After Wait Time Has Ended
@ping -n 120 127.0.0.1>nul
net start "VMware Authorization Service"
net start "VMware DHCP Service"
net start "VMware NAT Service"
net start "VMware Registration Service"
net start "VMware Virtual Mount Manager Extended"
exit

where:

@ping -n 120 127.0.0.1>nul = forces Windows to wait 120 seconds (-n 120) before proceeding to the next line in the batch file. (If you have the Windows 2003 Resource Kit installed ,you can also use the sleep.exe command).
net start "service name" = net start is the command that starts up the name of service in quotes.
exit = ends and closes the batch file.

To create your batch file:

1 - Right click on your Desktop and select New \ Text Document and name the file servicedelay.cmd

2 - Right click on servicedelay.cmd and select Edit to open the file, then copy and paste the batch file example (above).

3 - Identify the service or services. To do this, open up the Services console and double click on the service (you want delayed) to open it's property page.

Change the Startup type to Manual and click the Apply button.
Copy the service name (see arrow in below screen shot).

4 - Paste the service name in between the quotes of the first net start command.

5 - Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any additional services. If no other services will be started, delete the remaining lines that contain net start.

6 - Modify the sleep command to the time you want (in seconds)

7 - Copy servicedelay.cmd to your user profile startup folder.

In XP - C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
In Vista -C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

NOTE: When the batch file runs, you will see the black command prompt window. If needed, you can minimize it (do not close it).

Your all finished! Next time you boot up and log on to your Computer, take notice of the difference in how fast your PC starts up.

Force Vista To Connect To Wireless Network When SSID Is Not Broadcasting

2009-03-10T00:37:00.001-10:00

I just installed a wireless network in my home and am having a problem with my laptop that runs vista. I noticed on my second PC which is running XP, that it will connect to the wireless network even if the SSID has been enabled or disabled to broadcast. For some reason vista will not connect if the SSID is not broadcasting.

Is there a setting in vista that will allow it to connect when a wireless network is not broadcasting?

There is actually an easy fix to force Vista to connect to Wireless Network that is not broadcasting it's SSID (Service Set IDentifier)

Just open up the Network and Sharing Center by clicking on Start, type the word network in the Start Menu search box and click on Network and Sharing Center link in the search results. Or go to Start \ Control Panel \ Network and Internet \ Network and Sharing Center.

In the left navigation pane, click on Manage wireless networks.

Then right click on your wireless network connection and select properties.

Click on the check box next to Connect even if the network is not broadcasting and click OK to save the change (no reboot is necessary).

Now when you need to connect to wireless network, when SSID is not broadcasting, Vista will make the connection all the time.

Also, as far a security goes, there is no real advantage to hiding the SSID since many programs can see you wireless device when it is not bradcasting. It does not hurt to enable it, but will not deter someone who is network savvy. At the very least it can be implement with other methods for securing your home wireless network

How To Print A Directory Tree From Windows Explorer

2009-03-10T00:36:00.002-10:00

Do you ever have a need to print the contents of a folder or entire directory tree in Windows XP or Vista?

If you do, Microsoft has a knowledge base article that will add "Print Directory" to Windows Explorer right click menu which will print the folder contents (or directory tree) that you are currently viewing.

But the problem with Microsoft's solution in Step 2 is that File Types \ Advanced option in Folder Options does not exist in Vista, and for XP you need to hack the registry to prevent the Search Companion window from opening when you try to open the folder using Windows Explorer.

FORGET THAT CRAP!

Fortunantly there's an easier way to use this feature without messing around in the registry or searching all day for the Advanced button that doesn't exist.

To do this, we'll use Step 1 as described in the knowledge base article, and create the batch file which will include the commands needed for printing.

Creating The Printdir Batch File

Open Notepad by clicking on Start \ Run and enter notepad in the Run dialog box and click OK.
Copy and paste the following text into Notepad:

@echo off
dir %1 /-p /o:gn > "%temp%\Listing"
start /w notepad /p "%temp%\Listing"
del "%temp%\Listing"
exit

Close Notepad and click Yes to save the changes.
In the Save As dialog box, copy and paste the following text in the File name: field (shown in below screen shot):

%windir%\Printdir.bat

Select All Files (*.*) in the Save as type: drop down field. Then Click Save.

The Printdir.bat file has now been saved in the \Windows folder.

Next, we'll need create a shortcut to the Printdir.bat file in the Send To folder.

Create Printdir Shortcut

In Vista, click on Start \ Run and enter the following in the Run dialog box and click OK

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

(NOTE: %APPDATA% is an environment variable that points to your user name AppData\Roaming folder).

In XP, click on Start \ Run and enter the following in the Run dialog box and click OK (%USERPROFILE% is an environment variable that points to your use name Documents and Settings folder).

%USERPROFILE%\SendTo

In the SendTo folder, right click and select New \ Shortcut.
Type %windir%\Printdir.bat in the "Type the location of the item:" field and click Next.

Type Print Directory Listing in the "Type a name for this shortcut" and click Finish.

Now when you have the need to print a directory tree of folder contents from Windows Explorer, just right click and select Send To \ Print Directory Listing.

Much better than mucking around in the registry!

Hey What About Printing From The Command Prompt?

Yea, if you like to work at the command prompt, you can just type printdir.bat (if you created the batch file) at the prompt or enter the following command:

dir /-p /o:gn > %temp%\Listing | start /w notepad /p %temp%\Listing

The command is similar to what we used in the Printdir.bat file, except were "piping" the command together with the "|" character (found above the Enter key and holding Shift down).

By using "|" (SHIFT+\ above Enter key), it allows you to execute two commands at once. Every time you execute, it will over write the file "Listing" so you don't need to worry about deleting it.

Cool!

Resource Guide For Installing And Troubleshooting Vista Service Pack 1

2009-03-10T00:36:00.001-10:00

With the release of Vista Service Pack 1, for many it's either a smooth upgrade or the beginning of a long journey. Unlike previous Windows OS Service Pack installations, making sure your prepared before installing Vista SP1 can save you loads of time if something does go wrong.

To help out with upgrading, I have compiled a resource guide on how to install SP1, along with where to find help if you run into problems.

Using Windows Update (Automatic Update) To Install Vista SP1

To get started, connect to Windows Update (from the Start menu) and click on the Install updates button…

…or click on the View available updates link to verify that Windows Vista SP1 (KB936330) is in the list.

The entire installation time from automatic downloading (80 - 120 MB) to installing the service pack can take up to an hour (depending on the speed of your computer) along with several reboots.

Do not interrupt the process!! Let the install run it's course.

For step by step screen shots of automatic update click on this link.

Vista SP1 Is Not Available In Windows Update

If you do not see Service Pack 1 in the list, the problem could be caused by a number of reasons, some of which are:

The most common is that your system is not current with all prior updates. Make sure you have installed all available updates to this point. (once all updates have been applied, you should then see SP1 in the list (Ultimate versions must also include Optional updates). Click on View avaialble updates to view and install updates.

A previous SP1 (beta or RC versions) exist and must be un-installed before proceeding.

The language you are using is not supported yet in SP1.

You have hardware that is not fully supported.

The third-party program vLite was used to configure you system, and may have removed required system components that's required for SP1 to be installed.

You are already running Service Pack 1 (such as you just purchased a new computer with Vista Sp pre-installed).

If none of the above reasons apply to you, check out Microsoft's knowledge base article Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation from Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates for more information.

Manually Installing Vista SP1

To manually install SP1, you can download the ISO from Microsoft Download center at the following links:

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 x86 (434.5 MB)

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 x64 (726.5 MB)

While the ISO images are much larger in size compared to using Automatic Update, manual installation is probably safer. You will avoid any interruptions that may occur when using Automatic updates (over broadband) especially if you have a wireless network at home (just hope nobody calls on your land line phone!)

Vista SP1 Troubleshooting Suggestions

For my test laptop, SP1 would not install. At first I tried Windows Update followed by downloading and manually installing. Both attempts failed.

I then followed Microsoft's Knowledge article mentioned above ("Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation from Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates") and performed and verifed all eight resolution methods. Re-ran SP1 by manually installing it, but it failed again.

So I rebooted, tried Windows Update one more time, and SP1 installed successfully.

As you can see, you will either be successfull with installing SP1 the first time, or need to wrestle with it before having a successfull installation.

Vista SP1 Changes

So what changes are incorporated in SP1? Here are some of the major improvements;

Much improved file copy speed (no more waiting around).

Reduced UAC prompts when making changes that require admin rights.

Better DirectX support (updated to support DirectX 9 and 10 hardware, and the backwards-compatible 10.1 version).

Support for third party search solutions.

Power consumption improvements.

Security enhancements.

For a complete list, check out the following: Microsoft article.

If you're still hesitant with installing SP1 and want more info, check out ZDNet Ed Bott's Vista SP1 FAQ.

And if after going through the trouble (good or bad) with installing the service pack, remember, if for any reason you can always un-install from the Control Panel - Programs and Features \ Installed Updates and look for Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB936330).

How To Find What Program Has Locked A File When Attempting to Delete Copy Or Move

2009-03-10T00:35:00.000-10:00

How many times have you seen these Windows error messages when trying to delete, copy or move a file?

"Cannot delete file: Access is denied"

"There has been a sharing violation"

"The source or destination file may be in use"

"The file is in use by another program or user"

"Error Deleting File or Folder"

For many, probably when your least expected it or in a rush. Sometimes the fix is as easy as closing a program or Windows Explorer, while other times it's not as simple.

In all cases, the error is caused by the file handle being held open by program, process or another user. The challenge is finding what has it open, and the freeware utility Unlocker makes it easy to identify.

Unlocker (written by Cedrick Collomb) is an Windows Explorer extension that allows you to right click on a file and quickly unlock, when any of the above error messages appear while deleting, copy or moving a file. It can also unlock folders, DLL's, and delete the index.dat file without the need to reboot your Computer.

To install, download Unlocker and double click on the executable. Unlocker runs on Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista (not supported on Windows XP 64 or Vista 64).

1 - Select a Language and click OK

2 - Click Next at the Welcome screen

3 - Accept or select the Install Location and click Next

4 - Choose which Components you want to install. IMPORTANT:

- eBay shortcuts component is a promotional feature and should be uncheck if you do not want it installed.
- Assistant component will reside in the System Tray and automatically launches Unlocker when it detects a file is locked during copy/move/delete (this eliminates the need to right click).

5 - Click Finish to exit

To use Unlocker with the right click functionality, when a file or folder is locked and you try to delete, copy, or move, you will see an error message. In my case, when trying to delete an MS Word document, the following error message appeared.

Just right click on the file and select Unlocker…

…which will open Unlocker

Here, I selected Delete from the pull down menu (arrow) and clicked on Unlock All button. The file is now deleted.

Even though I could have just closed MS Word and deleted the file, Unlocker can be very useful when it's not obvious as to what program has a lock on a file or folder.

If you installed the Assistant, after you click OK on the error message, Unlocker will open automatically allowing you select an action.

For those who like to use Windows command prompt often, Unlocker can also be run from the command prompt. Just type Unlocker -H for command line options.

Unlocker is definitely a handy utility to have around and easy to use during those unexpectant times when one of those annoying error messages appear.

For more info check out Unlocker FAQ (http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/#faq)

5 Steps To Take Before Upgrading Your Windows Vista Computer To SP1

2009-03-10T00:34:00.002-10:00

The long awaited, highly anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) will finally be available by Microsoft. For many, SP1 is the promise land for fixing those annoying performance, compatibility and slow file copy problems that have plague Vista since it's release.

Only time will tell.

Regardless of what happens, pre-cautions should be taken to ensure a successful upgrade to Vista SP1.

Below are five steps you should follow BEFORE installing SP1, that should help with achieving a successful upgrade and ensure no data is lost.

1 - Back It Up - Don't want to lose your data? Then a simple backup will guarantee that won't occur. Even if you perform backups on a daily basis, a quick backup before starting SP1 installation will make sure you have the most recent copy of your data.

If you never backed up a single byte of data, now is the time to get yourself in gear and get moving.

What type of backup should you perform?

Image - performing an image backup of your System will quickly get you up and running again to the exact point when the image was created. Image backups do not require the need to re-install Vista if a problem occurs during or after SP1 installation. Make sure you have an external drive (USB or HDD) available. If not, now is a good time to invest in a drive.

NOTE: don't get confused with the image disk provided by OEM's. That type of image will erase all data on your drive and revert your System back to the day of purchase.

Data - if your main concern is just data, then a simple copy or data sync is the fastest method. Make sure you copy the data to an external source, or at the very least, to a second partition on your hard drive if one exists (do not copy the data to the System partition).

Some free drive imaging solutions, System Rescue CD or DriveImage XML.

Some free sync utilities, DSynchronize or SyncToy.

Remember planning for the worse now, will save you a lot of time and frustration later.

2 - Take Inventory Snapshot - in the event something goes wrong and you need to re-install Vista, taking an inventory of your computer hardware and software will give you a documented snapshot of your System that includes hardware component information, system configuration, and what software has been installed.

You can use either or a combination of PC Wizard, System Information for Windows (SIW) or DriverMax to give you all the inventory and driver data needed for re-installation.

3 - Check For Incompatible Applications - verify that you have nothing installed on your System that's not compatible with Vista SP1. If you do, then it's best to update any applications, programs and utilities before installing SP1. You can check out what's on the list at Microsoft.

4 - Uninstall Previous Vista SP1 Installations - if your are one of the eager or ambitious testers who have already installed a beta or release candidate version of SP1, it's recommended to uninstall, before installing the final version.

To do so, go to:

Start / Run and enter appwiz.cpl which will open Vista's Programs and Features.
Then select, View installed updates (on left).
Under Windows find and uninstall the Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB936330).

5 - Resolved Problems/Issues Now - if you have any type of current hardware or Operating System problems, now is the time fix them before upgrading. With the exception of minor bugs, Windows Service Pack upgrades are not made to fix problems, so don't expect miracles. You may be asking for more problems if you don't resolve them now.

Wrapping It Up

While Microsoft will make SP1 available via Automatic Updates, downloading the Service Pack (when it is available) and running it from your hard drive is your best bet. You'll avoid any interruptions or latency issues with your broadband connection that may cause a corrupt installation. Additionally since OS files are being updated, who wants the risk of your ISP fouling things up for you.

SP1 is a huge installation and install times can take anywhere from an hour or more, depending on the type of hardware you have. By downloading and running it locally, you may be able to decrease installation time.

For I.T. System Administrations the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Deployment Guide is available and provides technical information, procedures, and recommendations for installing SP1 in a business or corporate environment.

Following these steps BEFORE installing Vista SP1 should help you achieve a smooth upgrade while preparing you for any unexpected problems.

The Definitive Guide On How To Clean Out Crapware In Windows Computer

2009-03-10T00:34:00.001-10:00

Yep, many how-to guides and videos have been created that promise Windows users how to eliminate and remove junkware, spyware, left over registry entries, temp files, all of which is more commonly known as crapware.

And while some of them help, most only touch on one or two areas of Windows, that only leaves you just feeling half-cleaned (more like unscrubbed).

I recently came across one how-to guide written by ZDNet.com George Ou that really dug deep and gives you a complete end to end how-to-de-gunk Windows computers once and for all.

George's demonstration used only Microsoft Sysinternals Autoruns and CCleaner. And while you may think, here we go again, George's credibility by itself is enough, he gets a little bit of help from Mark Russinovich.

If you do not know who Mark Russinovich is, he's responsible for those life saving tools, such as Process Explorer and Autoruns, us System Admins have long come to depend on when troubleshooting Windows problems.

The article is very helpful for anyone, but new Windows users will appreciate George's definition of crapaware while listing the many examples of how crapware gets installed on your computer.

So if you want a detailed, take off the gloves approach to kicking 99% of crapware off your computer, check out How to fully de-gunk a PC of Crapware.

Make Windows Send To More Functional

2009-03-10T00:33:00.000-10:00

How often do you use the Send To utility in Windows? Probably not often if you are like many users who either forgot it existed or don't have the time to set it up to your preferences.

If you fall into the "forgot it was there" category, Send To is the little used function that appears when you right click on a folder or file where you can…send it anywhere (or at least to what is available).

If you find Send To a great convenience, but wish it was more dynamic (like being able to read your mind where your want to send it…) the utility Send To from Trogladite Software comes close to being a mind reader.

Here's how it works.

Download Send To from trogsoft.com and click on sendto16.exe to install. Before installation has completed, select any of the options for how you want Send To to appear in Windows Send To menu.

Now, when you right click on a folder or file and select Send To from the context menu, you should see the following screen shot:

Just click on Anywhere (or the name you choose during installation) to display the Send To… utility (below screenshot is from selecting a file).

Here you can browse you hard drive (or Network drives) and select the folder you want to send the file to. Notice that you can also select the Add path to menu check box, which will add the folder to Windows Send To menu. This is useful if the folder you chose, is used frequently.

Other options available are FTP and Applications which will display a list of installed applications on your Computer that you can choose to send the file to and have the applicaton open.

The tool has many other hidden options available, such as creating a new folder or zip file, move a file, instead of just copy a file, and creating a shortcut.

When selecting a folder, the Applications option will be greyed out.

You can also configure Send To by clicking on the Options… link on the toolbar and making any changes necessary.

For more information on making changes, see the Send To User Guide which is available for download on the Trogladite’s home page.

Send To utility simplifies sending any file or folder to any location on your computer. Once you have it setup, you'll never forget about it again.

Note: Currently, Trogladite’s home page is undergoing an overhaul, but the application is still available for download.

How To Search Non Indexed Locations Faster From Vista Start Menu

2009-03-10T00:32:00.002-10:00

There is no doubt, searching from Vista Start menu is much faster than clicking through Program groups or using Windows Explorer to find applications, programs, document files or folders.

But one drawback with the search feature in Vista occurs when adding to many folder locations to the search index (specifically frequently updated folders), which can cause a slow down or disk thrashing at unexpected times.

To avoid system bottlenecks, and make searching non-indexed locations, more efficient, you can create saved searches that can be run from the Start menu, preventing Vista from needing to search your entire hard drive.

First, start by creating saved searches, by clicking on Start \ Search.

Next, you will want to setup the search parameters by clicking on the Advanced Search arrow…

…which will display the Advanced Search options.

Here you will want to choose the location to search from, that is not currently in the index, specify any date or size criteria if needed (leave blank to wild card searches) and if necessary, check the box next to Include non-indexed, hidden, and system files.

To specify specific folders from the Location pull down, select Choose search locations… and navigate to the folder and click on the check box.

Once the parameters are set, you can enter the search string in the Search field and run the search.

When the search is completed, save the search by clicking on the the Saved Search button on the toolbar and give it a name. Make sure the search is being saved in the Searches folder.

To run the search from the Start menu, you can either type the name of the search in the Start menu search box, or type Searches and click on the saved search in the list (Windows Explorer will open and display the search results).

To make saved searches as efficient as possible from the Start menu, below are a couple of tips you should follow:

Don't create hundreds of saved searches. Create searches that make the most sense. For example, if you have a second partition that you do not want included in the search index, create a saved search and specified the search parameters as needed.
Use saved searches for folders that are updated frequently. This will prevent frequent updates to the index, eliminate slow downs and disk thrashing during unexpected times.
Saved searches are best used for complex searches. One example is searching for files that were recently modified in the last two days.
To create advanced search queries, check out Microsoft Advanced Query Reference.

After a while you will find, running searches from the Start menu, is much easier than navigating through the menu or Windows Explorer to locate items that are not included in the index.

Use The Command Prompt To Open And Display Folder Contents In Windows Explorer

2009-03-10T00:32:00.001-10:00

One great feature of Windows is the capability to open any folder location in a Command prompt, from Windows Explorer, by right clicking on a folder and selecting "Command Prompt Here".

But if you use Windows command prompt often, there may be times when you want the reverse to happen…meaning you want to open a folder location from the command prompt, and have the folder and it's contents displayed in Windows Explorer.

To do this, open a command prompt from the keyboard by typing Win+R, or click on Start \ Run then type cmd in the run box and click OK.

Navigate to the folder you want displayed in Windows Explorer by using the Change Directory command "cd" (with out the quotes).

In the below screen shot I have cd to the Windows folder.

Now type the following command…

start .

Note: above command is typed as start, followed by a space, followed by a period.

…and Windows Explorer will open to the folder location that you were in at the command prompt, and display it's contents.

If you want Windows Explorer to open the parent folder of the current location, just type

start ..

In the below screenshot, the root of C:\ is the parent folder of Windows.

This trick is pretty cool and very useful for any command line geek.

Also, at the beginning of this article, I mentioned the capability to open a folder location in a Command prompt, by right clicking on a folder and selecting "Command Prompt Here".

In Vista, it is included by default, but in XP it is not. If you are missing this option in XP, you can add it to the context menu by following these steps:

Click on Start \Run then type regedit and click OK
In the left menu tree, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
Right click on shell and select New \ Key
Name the key Open Command Prompt Here
Right click on the newly created key (Open Command Prompt Here) and select New \ Key
Name the new key command
Select the newly created command key and double-click on default value
Enter cmd.exe /k cd %1 and click on Ok

That's all there is to it!

Launch Windows Control Panel Applets From The Run Command

2009-03-10T00:31:00.000-10:00

As important as Windows Explorer is for navigating around the file system, the Control Panel is the central point of Windows Operating Systems for configuring various system and program options.

But to access the Control Panel, you need to navigate through the Start menu or create a shortcut on your desktop.

Just like executable or programs, Control panel applets can easily be launch from the run command. While there is no difference with opening items from the Control Panel, it can save you several steps from needing to navigate through the Start menu.

For example, to launch Add or Remove Programs applet, just type appwiz.cpl in the run command field and click OK.

If you access an applet in the Control Panel frequently, you can also create shortcuts on your desktop or add it to the quick launch on the taskbar.

To locate all the applets, just open Windows Explorer and navigate to %System%\System32 folder. Then sort by file type and scroll down to all files with Control Panel Item (or you can search in the %System%\System32 for *.cpl).

Below is a list of the most typical applets you will find in the Control Panel. Depending on what you have installed on your system and if you are running XP or Vista, your list may be different.

access.cpl - Accessibility Options
appwiz.cpl - Add or Remove Programs
desk.cpl - Display Properties
firewall.cpl - Firewall
hdwwiz.cpl - Add Hardware Wizard
inetcpl.cpl - Internet Explorer Properties
intl.cpl - Regional and Language Options
irprops.cpl - Wireless Link (Ifrared)
joy.cpl - Game Controllers
jpicpl32.cpl - Java Control Panel
main.cpl - Mouse Properties
mmsys.cpl - Sounds and Audio Devices Pro Properties
ncpa.cpl - Network Connections
netsetup.cpl - Network Setup Wizard
nusrmgr.cpl - User Accounts
odbccp32.cpl - ODBC Data Source Administrator
PLUGIN~2.CPL - Java Plug-in Control Panel
powercfg.cpl - Power Options Properties
sysdm.cpl - System Properties
telephon.cpl - Phone and Modem Options
timedate.cpl - Date and Time Properties
wscui.cpl - Windows Security Ceter
wuaucpl.cpl - Automatic Updates

Now, instead of navigating through the Start menu, you can easily access individual Control Panel items easily from the Run command…and save yourself a few mouse clicks.

Copy File Name And Path as Text In Vista With Keyboard Shortcut

2009-03-10T00:30:00.002-10:00

While Vista added many new features to it's interface, it also included many new features to Windows Explorer interface as well. With the introduction of breadcrumb trails as the default view in the address bar:

Vista also lets you change the view to XP's path style:

This feature is handy if you have the need to copy the path of folders as text. But how about copying the path to files including the file name? Vista has that covered with a hidden shortcut to easily copy file paths using the keyboard.

In XP you would first need to copy the path of the folder, paste it somewhere, then right click the file and select properties of a file to copy the file name (way to many steps).

To easily copy the full path to a file, including it's file name in Vista, locate the file using Windows Explorer or Search for the file, then hold the Shift key and Right click on the file name.

In the Right click context menu select Copy as Path.

Now when you paste…

"C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe"

…the path to the file will also include the file name with quotes. Sweet!

Test Drive Windows Vista For Free Over The Internet

2009-03-10T00:30:00.001-10:00

Wondering what the hype is with Windows Vista? Not sure if your ready to make the move away from XP? Well, Microsoft wants you to experience Vista before making the commitment by giving users a free test drive of the new Operating System.

Known as "Windows Vista Ultimate Test Drive" you can try out Vista in a remote desktop web session using Internet Explorer, with out needing to install the OS on your desktop. Explore Vista on your own pace, follow guided exercises or just watch videos.

To check it out, go to Vista Ultimate Test Drive and Sign In with any email address.

NOTE: It is highly recommended that you have a high speed Internet connection.

Next, your System will be tested to see if it meets the necessary requirements and install the Virtual Server VRMC Advanced Control Active X control. After installation has completed, close the window and press F5 to refresh the previous screen.

Now select any of the options (in the above screen shot) and run Vista as if you had installed the new Operating System on your Computer

You can move at your own pace, follow the instructions located to the right of the desktop, or watch videos. This demo is loaded with things to try and it gives you a first hand look at Vista if you decide to take the plunge. Remember you are on a real System so start kicking the tires and put it through it's paces!

Although, I prefer how Linux distributions let you download an ISO image and boot up an OS via CD-Rom, this is a giant step forward by Microsoft in the right direction to give users a free preview with out needed to install anything.

Just remember the Virtual PC is running Vista Ultimate. More than likely as a home user you will purchase the Home Premium version, but overall functionality will be the same.

Use Check Boxes To Select Multiple Icons On Vista Desktop

2009-03-10T00:29:00.000-10:00

In a previous Vista Tip, I showed you how to enable check boxes for selecting multiple files in Windows Explorer with out needing to use the keyboard.

A cool side effect to enabling the check box option, is that it allows you to also select multiple icons and shortcuts on your desktop using the check boxes.

If you do not have this feature enabled, follow these steps, otherwise skip down to "Back To Your Desktop"

Open any folder or click on Start \ Computer to run Windows Explorer.

Once Windows Explorer opens, from the menu, select Tools \ Folder Options… and select the view tab, then scroll down near the bottom and check the box next to Use check boxes to select items. Click OK.

…Back To Your Desktop

After the option is enabled, go to the Desktop and just mouse over an icon or shortcut and you will now see a check box…

….which will allow you to multiple select icons just as if you use the Ctrl key or dragged and selected all the icons.

Once checked, you can cut, copy or drag as you normally can do in Windows.

Reorder Applications In Windows Taskbar With Taskix

2009-03-10T00:28:00.000-10:00

One feature missing with Windows that Microsoft refuses to add is the functionality to shuffle and reorder opened applications or programs around in the taskbar.

Fortunantly there are many utilities that "fill in" the gaps left open by Microsoft, such as Taskix that allows you to reorder buttons in the taskbar by simply dragging and dropping them in any order.

Best of all, Taskix is free and is a stand alone utility that requires no installation.

Written by Adrian Schlesinger, just download Taskix to a folder on your Computer, unzip it and double click on Taskix32.exe.

After launching Taskix, just click on the Activate button, and the utility will run in the background. If you want taskix to run when Windows starts, check the box next to Autostart with Windows.

To reorder open apps in the taskbar, just click on a button

then drag and drop it to any location you want the button to be ordered.

Taskix is a cool utility with a small memory footprint and runs on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or Vista. A 64 bit version is also available.

Windows Tip: Control Drag And Drop Options With Your Keyboard

2009-03-10T00:27:00.000-10:00

How many times has this scenario occurred?

You need to edit or modify important files or documents and decide that you want to copy them to another location on your hard drive as a precaution. After selecting multiple files, you left click and drag them to another folder.

But just before releasing the mouse button to drop into the folder, you realized that you had left clicked on the selected files, instead of right clicking, which will cause the files to move (not copy) forcing you to start over again.

If you had right clicked on the selection of files then dragged and dropped, Windows will display the context menu giving you the option to Copy, Move, Create Shortcut or Cancel the operation.

Instead of starting over again after left clicking, you can control the operation that will be performed, and still select the same options in the screen shot above by using the Keyboard.

Here's how to do it:

Before releasing the mouse button:

To force a Copy - hold down the Ctrl key (Control)
To force a Move - hold down the Shift key
To force a Create Shortcut - hold down the Alt key
To force a Cancel = press the Esc key

You will notice in Vista or XP the cursor will change to reflect the selected operation.

With Vista:

Copy =

Move =

Create Shortcut =

With XP:

Copy =

Create Shortcut =

In XP, Move will not change the cursor.

NOTE: this tip will only work when moving files or folders on the same drive. By default, Windows automatically copies files or folders between dives and partition when using left click

How To Find The Version Of DirectX Installed In Windows

2009-03-10T00:25:00.000-10:00

My son wants to install an older version of Sims Town on his new Windows PC and the setup program is asking me if I want to install DirectX or abort the install if I already have DirectX installed. I don't even know what DirectX is let alone WHERE to find the version information. How can I find what version is installed on my PC?

Fortunately for you and your son, DirectX is installed and there is an easy way to check the version.

Click Start
On XP Click Run and type dxdiag.exe
On Vista type dxdiag.exe in the search box and click on dcdiag.exe in the search results

NOTE: If Windows cannot find the dxdiag program, an earlier version of DirectX may be installed and should be upgraded to the latest version.

On the System tab, note the version of DirectX displayed on the DirectX Version line.

What is DirectX?

In a nutshell, DirectX is a Windows technology that enables higher performance in graphics and sound when you're playing games or watching video on your Windows Computer.

Basically it's what makes us go WOW when playing games

Use Vista's Program Compatibility Wizard To Run Older Applications

2009-03-10T00:24:00.002-10:00

For any one making the switch or upgrading to Windows Vista, the need to run older software applications is a must. Most likely you will have little compatibility issues running applications or programs in Vista, that was written for older versions of Windows such as XP, 98 or 95.

If you do have problems, you can make older software applications run on Vista by setting the compatibility mode to an older version of Windows.

When an application fails to run, start the Program Compatibility Wizard by clicking on Start \ Control Panel and select 'Use an older program with this version of Windows' listed at the bottom of the side bar.

If you run Control Panel in Classic view, you can execute the wizard, as exactly shown below, from the Run box.

"c:\windows\system32\mshta.exe" res://c:\windows\system32\acprgwiz.dll/compatmode.hta

Click Next to start the wizard.

In the next screen, I like to choose the first option instead of hunting around for the program executable. If you do know where the executable resides, select the third option. Click Next to continue.

Once the list is display, scroll through and find the application you want to run in Compatibility mode. For this tutorial, we'll use Filezilla FTP program. Click Next to continue.

Select the version of Windows, the application was originally written to run on. If you do not know, start out with Windows XP (SP2). One advantage of using the wizard is the test mode functionality shown later in the wizard.

The next screen list options if your program has problems handling the higher quality video of Vista. For now, click Next to continue. After the wizard completes and the test fails, you will have the option to return to this screen. Experiment with the settings by starting off with disabling visual themes and desktop composition, if you can't get things working.

The below table list definitions for each setting:

Run in 256 colors - This forces the entire screen to 256 colors while the application is running
Run in 640×480 screen resolution — Runs the program in a smaller-sized window. Try this setting if the graphical user interface appears jagged or is rendered improperly.
Disable visual themes - Disables themes on the program. Try this setting if you notice problems with the menus or buttons on the title bar of the program.
Disable desktop composition - Turns off transparency and other advanced display features. Choose this setting if window movement appears erratic or you notice other display problems.
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings - Turns off automatic resizing of programs if large-scale font size is in use. Try this setting if large-scale fonts are interfering with the appearance of the program.

Next, if the application requires Administrative privileges, select this option. Otherwise click Next.

NOTE: You will have the option to return to this setting if the program fails to run during the test.

On the next screen, click Next to test the application. If successful select the first option and click Next to continue.

If the application failed to run or has problems (such as video), select the second option to go back and make additional changes.

After a successfull test, select either Yes or No to send information to Microsoft, then click Finish to save your settings.

To reset the compatibility settings back to the original settings, run the wizard again and in the 'Select a compatibility mode for the program', select the last option to 'not apply a compatibilty mode'.

One big advantage to using the Program Compatibility Wizard, is that you can view which programs or applications are running in compatibility mode by running the wizard and checking the settings column as shown in the screen shot below.

If running an older software application in compatability mode fails, check the software manufacturer site for information or updates to the software.