Browsing Category: "Windows Tips And Trick"
Why is it that simple steps often are overlooked? A great example is backing up all that data on your hardrive. From flash drives to external USB drives, backing up gigabytes of your most important files, digital photos, mp3 music, etc… has become easy and cost effective thanks to USB.
Why USB?
Because it’s simple to connect and easy to drag and drop directories or files to the USB drive. When you’re finished, just unplug the drive and keep it in a safe place. No more excuses NOT to backup your data.
You just can’t beat the price. From 1GB flash memory to 250GB of storage, prices can range from $ 20 – $ 250. A small investment that will pay dividends when you discover your PC hard drive just died.
High speed connection. USB 2.0 data transfer speeds are blazing fast, as much as 450Mbps (mega bits per second). Gone are the days of the slow moving flying folders across your monitor.
Portability. From storing 1byte to hundreds of Gigabytes, you now have no more excuses that the dog ate your report.
Plug and Play. USB drives are fully compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems. Depending on the format of the drive, the possibility exists to copy data from one OS and connect to another without needing to be a Computer expert.
Simple. Ahhh yes, we as human love simple things. So why is that we never have time to backup what we consider important data. If you took inventory of the type data you keep on your PC, it will probably surprise you. Losing that data is like losing everything if your house burnt down to the ground. Sure, your USB drive will also be gone, but you probably take precautions with important paperwork by keeping them in a fireproof safe or at another location. Isn’t time that you add digital data to that same thinking?
The central processor unit (CPU) is the component that’s responsible for processing the information and commands between the different components that make up your PC, which basically makes it the brain of your PC.
Here’s how to check your processor information in Windows XP:
- Open the Start menu and click on Control Panel
- When in Category View, click the Performance and Maintenance category.
If in Classic View, simply double-click on the System icon and proceed to step 4.
- Click on the System icon.
- Refer to the Computer section, as shown in picture..
Processor and memory configurations are shown in System Properties
A - CPU type and speed are shown here, as well as total RAM
Easy Tip: You can get to the System (and processor) details even quicker if you have the My Computer icon displayed on your desktop: Simply right-click the icon and select Properties.
We all know that Vista’s drivers suck. We also know that there is a bunch of bloatware on deck. However, with the right tools… You CAN make Vista run as smoothly… eh’ hem.. better than XP
To start….
Go to Start—>Control Panel–>Programs & Features–>Uninstall all the programs that they have “thrown” at you. Programs such as “online offers” or programs with your computer manufacturer’s name plastered all over it are 99% of the time JUNK.
Go to your computer’s website and get all the updates (bios, hardware, drivers, etc)
Go to Windows update and update all of the software there…
Next, some of these are up to your personal preference. I will explain how to disable things such as UAC (User Account Control), which IMHO is a major pain in the ass.
To disable UAC (User Account Control):
Hold the Windows logo button and R together. Type in MSCONFIG and hit enter.
Click on the Tools tab. Scroll down till you find “Disable UAC” Click on that line. and press Launch. Restart the computer at this point since it will make everything else go faster.
To disable some unused programs:
Windows key + R and type in services.msc… hit enter
Right click on the following. Select STOP. Right click again… select properties and change the startup to Disabled.
- Computer browser (if not connected to LAN)
- Fax (if not using printer and fax)
- Windows Error Reporting Service
- Secondary logon
- Tablet PC Input service
- Print spooler (if not using printer and fax)
- Security center
- Routing and remote access (if not connected to LAN)
- Internet connection sharing
- TCP/IP NetBios helper
- Server (if not sharing resources through LAN)
- Offline files
- Distributed Link Tracking Client
- IKE and AuthIP IP Keying Modules
- Remote Registry
Close the services management console.
Disable System Restore:
Another big time hog of memory. Some might not want to do this. This program allows you to bring your computer back to a state in which it worked if you mess something up.
1. Control panel-> System and maintenance-> System
2. Advanced system settings
3. System protection tab
4. Uncheck all the drives.
5. Apply changes.
Disable some (or all UI effects):
Again… this is up to you what all you uncheck. I have listed some of the bigger memory hogs here… you may disable all of them, the ones I listed… whichever..
1. Control panel-> System
2. Advanced system settings
3. Advanced tab/Performance/Settings
4. Uncheck the following boxes:
- Fade or slide menus into view
- Fade or slide tooltips into view
- show shadows under menus
- Show translucent selection rectangle
- Slide open combo boxes
- Use a background image for each folder type
Again.. you can do more or less depending on how much performance you want to gain.
5. Apply changes.
Bring those annoyingly large icons back to a nice size
The icons on Vista’s desktop are HUGE… I hated it… To change em back
Right click on the desktop, choose VIEW and choose Classic Icons
Disable options in folders
1. Open an explorer window. hit the ALT key to make the classic menu appear. Select tools and then folder options.
2. Select the view tab.
3. Uncheck the following boxes:
- display file icon on thumbnails
- display simple folder view in navigation pane
- use sharing wizard
- show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color
- show pop-up description for folder and desktop items
4. Apply changes.
If you like the classic menus… click on the general tab now and select Classic Menus
Get rid of the Security Center
The security center is a very annoying feature with a built in pop up. If you’re not a complete moron and can remember to install anti-virus software without Windows telling you..
- Windows Key + R again.. type in cmd and hit enter
- Type cd\
- Type cd windows\system32
- Run these commands
a. takeown /f wscapi.dll
b. takeown /f wscsvc.dll
c. takeown /f wscui.cpl
This has given you ownership of the three files. Enter the System32 directory via Windows Explorer and right click each of these three files. Go to the Properties/Security Tab and edit/add an entry for everyone and give them all full access. (tick all the squares). Rename these three files with a BAK extension. In Start/Run type services.msc and disable the Security Center Service.
Now reboot and the OS is all yours.
Windows Defender is redundant in my opinion.. to disable it…
- Windows key + R
- Type in MSConfig and hit enter
- Scroll down to Windows Defender (might not show the entire name… will be towards the bottom though)
- Uncheck the box and hit apply.
Reboot and then check the box that asks if you want to be warned about System Config changes.
And this next tweak is especially for the gamers using VISTA
Right click on your game… select properties…click on the compatibility tab…
Click Disable desktop composition radio box. This will shut down a lot of “Aero” while running this app. Once you close your game, all will be back to normal. Good for freeing up RAM
Resize Partition
In Windows Vista it is now possible to resize partitions
without any data loss in the new Disk Management console.
without any data loss in the new Disk Management console.
Resizing Partitions with Windows Vista:
1) Click on the Start Button and right click on Computer and select Manage.
2) Expand the Storage section and select Disk Management.
3) Then just right click on any partition
and select either Expand or Shrink to change the size of the partition.
This will allow you to safely resize your partitions without any data loss.
Increase network performance when playing media
Windows Vista throttles your network bandwidth when you are playing any multimedia file such as an MP3 or a video. This was designed to ensure the CPU has enough free cycles available to play your media without skipping. The down side is that when you are playing a multimedia file you will notice that your network speed of file transfers will decrease on high speed network connections. By default when you are playing a multimedia file your network transfers are limited to 10 packets per millisecond.
In Windows Vista SP1 Microsoft introduces a registry key that allows you to customize this setting.
1) [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile]
2) NetworkThrottlingIndexValue
You can set NetworkThrottlingIndexValue between 1 and 70. If you want to disable set the hexadecimal value to FFFFFFFF.
Microsoft warns that if you increase the value above 10 you may experience playback quality issues. Depending on your network setup, it is worth experimenting.
After making any changes a restart is needed.
To run any of these apps go to Start > Run and type the executable name, for example: charmap
WINDOWS XP HIDDEN APPLICATIONS:
- Character Map = charmap.exe (very useful for finding unusual characters)
- Disk Cleanup = cleanmgr.exe
- Clipboard Viewer = clipbrd.exe (views contents of Windows clipboard)
- Dr Watson = drwtsn32.exe (Troubleshooting tool)
- DirectX diagnosis = dxdiag.exe (Diagnose & test DirectX, video & sound cards)
- Private character editor = eudcedit.exe (allows creation or modification of characters)
- IExpress Wizard = iexpress.exe (Create self-extracting / self-installing package)
- Mcft Synchronization Manager = mobsync.exe (appears to allow synchronization of files on the network for when working offline. Apparently undocumented).
- Windows Media Player 5.1 = mplay32.exe (Retro version of Media Player, very basic).
- ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbcad32.exe (something to do with databases)
- Object Packager = packager.exe (to do with packaging objects for insertion in files, appears to have comprehensive help files).
- System Monitor = perfmon.exe (very useful, highly configurable tool, tells you everything you ever wanted to know about any aspect of PC performance, for uber-geeks only )
- Program Manager = progman.exe (Legacy Windows 3.x desktop shell).
- Remote Access phone book = rasphone.exe (documentation is virtually non-existant).
- Registry Editor = regedt32.exe [also regedit.exe] (for hacking the Windows Registry).
- Network shared folder wizard = shrpubw.exe (creates shared folders on network).
- File siganture verification tool = sigverif.exe
- Volume Contro = sndvol32.exe (I’ve included this for those people that lose it from the System Notification area).
- System Configuration Editor = sysedit.exe (modify System.ini & Win.ini just like in Win98! ).
- Syskey = syskey.exe (Secures XP Account database – use with care, it’s virtually undocumented but it appears to encrypt all passwords, I’m not sure of the full implications).
- Mcft Telnet Client = telnet.exe
- Driver Verifier Manager = verifier.exe (seems to be a utility for monitoring the actions of drivers, might be useful for people having driver problems. Undocumented).
- Windows for Workgroups Chat = winchat.exe (appears to be an old NT utility to allow chat sessions over a LAN, help files available).
- System configuration = msconfig.exe (can use to control starup programs)
- gpedit.msc used to manage group policies, and permissionsr
Make your computer dual-boot Vista and XP
Make your computer dual-boot Vista and XP
It’s getting harder to buy a new computer with Windows XP installed and — after Microsoft stops selling XP on June 30, 2008 — it will become nearly impossible.
Fortunately, you can have your XP cake and eat your Vista, too, by setting up your system to boot between the two operating systems.
Add an XP option to your new Vista system
If a new computer arrived in your recent past, or you plan to buy one in the near future, chances are it will come with Windows Vista installed. Although some manufacturers still give you the option of getting XP on your new system, that option is likely to dry up for most consumers later this year when Microsoft stops selling Windows XP.
If you’re not ready to dive into Vista all at once, there is an answer: set up your Vista computer to dual-boot between Vista and XP.
In this article, I’ll tell you how to make your PC give you a choice between Vista and XP every time you start up. In a separate article coming soon, I’ll give you some additional tips that save disk space on a dual-boot system.
Although some sources, such as Computer Shopper Magazine, advise that you need an add-on product like VistaBootPro to dual-boot, you can accomplish the same thing without any additional software other than the two operating systems.
Before starting, make sure you have your Windows XP install discs ready as well as your Windows Vista DVD. In addition, it’s a good idea to make a complete system backup before beginning an operation like this.
Once you’ve laid that groundwork, you’re ready to go to work:
Step 1. In Vista, click Start, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter. Click Continue if prompted by User Account Control.
Step 2. Right-click a drive and choose Shrink Volume. Specify the amount to shrink, which in this case is the amount you want for your XP partition. At a minimum, you’ll need around 2.5GB for XP Pro SP2. I suggest you select a larger partition to leave room for updates and other files that may need to be on the same drive as XP. Because I wanted a 5GB partition, I typed 5000 (representing 5,000 megabytes) in the available box. Click Shrink.
Step 3. Right-click the newly available area and choose New Simple Volume. Follow the steps in the wizard to assign a drive letter now, or wait until the next step. When prompted, check Perform a quick format to format the volume with NTFS.
Step 4. When the wizard is done formatting the new volume, you can assign or rearrange drive letters as needed. For example, changing drive letters may also put your CD/DVD drive in a more logical order.
To do that, right-click a volume or the CD/DVD drive and choose Change Drive Letters and Paths. If a volume hasn’t got a drive letter yet, click Add. Otherwise, select the drive icon in the dialog box and click Change.
If you’re rearranging the letters on existing drives, you may need to change the drives in a particular order. Or you may need to give a drive a temporary letter (such as Z) to free up a letter for another drive; you would change the Z drive to something else later. Make your selection and click OK. Repeat for other partitions or drives until you have the order you want.
Step 5. When you’re done with your partitioning chores, exit Disk Management. Insert your XP disc into the drive and restart your system, booting from that disk.
Step 6. Follow the steps to install XP. When asked for the target drive, select your new partition and press Enter. Because you already formatted this partition with NTFS, you can skip the formatting step. At the appropriate screen, arrow down to Leave the current file system intact (no changes) and press Enter. Continue the installation process until it’s finished and XP has started.
Step 7. Your system now boots to XP, so we’ll need to do some fixing to set up a boot menu. Insert your Vista DVD and restart the computer from it. Click Next in the first screen.
Step 8. Don’t click Install when prompted! Instead, click Repair Your Computer in the lower-left corner.
Step 9. When the System Recovery Options dialog appears, make sure Microsoft Windows Vista is selected and click Next. In the next dialog box, select the Command Prompt option at the bottom.
Step 10. In the command-prompt window, type the following commands and press Enter after each one:
bootrec.exe /fixMBR
bootrec.exe /fixBoot
Step 11. Close the command prompt and click Restart.
Step 12. When your computer has booted into Vista, click Start, type cmd.exe, and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to make the command window open with elevated privileges. Click Continue, if prompted by User Account Control.
Step 13. Type the following commands in the command window, one at at time, pressing Enter after each one. After each command, you should get the response, “The operation completed successfully.” A response of, “The specified entry already exists,” is OK, too. If not, retype your command to make sure you’ve entered it correctly. If Vista is installed on a drive other than c:, change the first command below to use the proper drive letter. The curly braces around {ntldr} in each command must be typed exactly as shown:
bcdedit -set {ntldr} device partition=C:
bcdedit -set {ntldr} path \ntldr
bcdedit -displayorder {ntldr} -addlast
bcdedit -set {ntldr} description “Microsoft Windows XP”
That’s it! The next time you restart your system, you should be see a prompt that will let you choose between Vista or XP. Select the one you want and press Enter.
How to customize your boot menu
When you start your dual-boot system, the menu will appear for a few seconds. If you don’t press any keys, eventually Windows Vista will start. Fortunately, you can change this if you don’t want Vista to be your default operating system. You can also customize the waiting period before the default kicks in.
Here’s what to do:
Step 1. Click Start. Type systempropertiesadvanced and press Enter. Click Continue, if prompted by User Account Control.
Step 2. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
Step 3. At the top of the dialog box, select the operating system you want to start by default.
Step 4. In the box to the right of Time to display list of operating systems, specify the number of seconds for the options to stay on screen. Click OK.
Microsoft provides documentation of Vista’s bcdedit command and its parameters in an article in the Windows Vista Technical Library.
Having two operating systems on the same computer definitely takes a little extra disk space. In a future column, I’ll show you some ways to make the two operating systems share some common resources to save on storage.
