Tag: Windows
October 30, 2008 by
Jason Have you ever clicked on the Shutdown or Restart button in Windows and have absolutely nothing happen? Sometimes Windows gets stuck because of some process that has become hung, meaning it is running, but can’t be ended in the normal way.
Hence, you try to shutdown or restart your computer, nothing happens at all. If you’re lucky, after a minute or two, you might see a message pop up saying that a process is hung and you can either let Windows try to end it or you can press End Now. I always prefer End Now!
Unfortunately, sometimes Windows simply refuses to shutdown and it won’t give you any kind of message. Don’t worry, the underlying cause of this is still a hung process, so all you need to do is kill the non-critical Windows processes one by one or modify the registry so that a hung process is automatically ended without manual intervention. I’ll explain both methods. Read More»
Posted in Computer | 1 Comment »
October 29, 2008 by
Jason Use an administrator account to reset the password
If you have forgotten your password to a user account, but you or another person can still log on to the administrator account, then you can change it there. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Log on to the administrator account.
2. Click on the Start button and type in lusrmgr.msc into Start Search.
3. Double-click Local Users and Groups, and then click Users.
4. Right-click the account that you want to reset the password for, and then click Set Password.
5. Type in and confirm the new password.
Please note that these steps do not work in Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium. Read More»
Posted in Computer | No Comments »
October 27, 2008 by
Jason Welcome back to the registry optimization saga! If you’re just joining us, please start by reading at least our first episode, which describes a few rules that must be followed in order for the optimization process to take place successfully…
So, now that you’ve opened your tweak.reg file and you’ve written ‘Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00’ at its beginning, let’s head on to some serious business: in today’s episode we’ll cover several important optimizations that you would usually access using Folder Options.
Folder Options is one of the key-windows of any Windows optimization process. You can easily find it by clicking on the Tools menu in Windows Explorer. From the View tab you have access to a variety of essential XP settings regarding the looks and behavior of your Windows Explorer. Therefore if you want to make some of these changes permanent on a regular basis (each time you install your Windows) or apply them on another computer too, just copy the tweaks you’re interested in to your tweak.reg file. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | 3 Comments »
October 24, 2008 by
Jason
Allow me to start this article by recommending you read (if you haven’t already) the first part of this “tweaking series,” as it sets the ground rules that must be followed in order to get the job done right.
The concept behind the “tweaking series” is quite simple, in that it shows you how to optimize your Windows XP the way you want, with just a few clicks and without the help of any expensive software.
So, now that you’ve read the first part, you’ve created your tweaks.reg file, and wrote “Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00” in it, let’s see what other tweaks you could add to your file in order to further enhance your XPerience.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer]
“Link”=hex:00,00,00,00
When creating a shortcut, Windows XP automatically names it “Shortcut to (name of the file).” If you find this annoying, the above tweak will remove the “Shortcut to” text and leave only the name of the file in the shortcut’s name. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | 4 Comments »
October 23, 2008 by
Jason Many people find that synching a new iPhone with their contact and calendar data from applications like Microsoft Outlook just doesn’t work easily.
Fortunately, there are techniques you can use to make sure that your devices are sharing data smoothly.
If you’re having trouble using iTunes to sync your contact data from Outlook or other sources with your iPhone or iPod Touch, follow these steps to get your data where it needs to be.
Step 1. With your phone connected to your computer, make sure iTunes is running. If necessary, select your phone under the Devices category in iTunes’ left pane.
Step 2. With iTunes’ Summary tab in front, make sure the Options at the bottom are set the way you want them. I like to control which files are moved and when, so I uncheck Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected. I also select Manually manage music and videos. Read More»
Posted in Mac, Office | 1 Comment »
October 22, 2008 by
Jason The Security Development Lifecycle is in no way synonymous with Microsoft’s entire span of efforts designed to bulletproof its software products and consumer environments. An illustrative example of this is the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 4.0. Built as the evolution of Microsoft Security Risk Self-Assessment Tool (MSRSAT) dating back to 2004 and that of the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 2.0 dropped in 2006, the Security Assessment Tool 4.0 is a free download which will integrate seamlessly with Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003 in order to evaluate the level of risk in an IT infrastructure and provide the necessary best practices data and guidance.
“The tool employs a holistic approach to measuring your security posture by covering topics across people, process, and technology. Findings are coupled with prescriptive guidance and recommended mitigation efforts, including links to more information for additional industry guidance. These resources may assist you in keeping you aware of specific tools and methods that can help change the security posture of your IT environment. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP, windows vista | No Comments »
October 22, 2008 by
Jason If it seems like your computer has gotten slower since you bought it, it probably has. One of the biggest factors that slows down your computer’s performance is fragmentation, a situation that occurs over time, in which files on your hard drive become divided into small pieces. Your computer must read a file to open, save, or close it. So when it reads each piece of a fragmented file separately, the effect is that the file can seem “slow” when you’re working with it.
Defragmenting your hard drive is the process of putting all the scattered pieces of files back together. Microsoft Windows XP includes a tool that will defragment your hard drive for you. To keep your system performing well, it’s a good idea to have Windows XP automatically defragment your hard drive every week. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | 2 Comments »
October 22, 2008 by
Jason By default, the Microsoft Windows XP taskbar, which shows buttons for each of your open windows, sits at the bottom of your screen. That’s fine if you don’t open many windows. If you have more than six or seven windows open at a time, however, the taskbar can become extremely crowded. To make more room for windows, move your taskbar to the right or left side of the screen, where it will be displayed vertically, giving you room for more than a dozen windows.
Tip: If you have a widescreen monitor, placing your taskbar on the right or left side of the screen can make much more efficient use of screen space.
To move your taskbar
1. Right-click your taskbar. If there is a check mark beside Lock the Taskbar on the shortcut menu, click Lock the Taskbar to unlock it. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »
October 21, 2008 by
Jason
Right now, I am actually looking for some instructions on how to automatically shutdown the computer by using only the built-in components of Windows Vista, without any additional “shutdown computer” applications (oh boy, there are thousands or even billions of those). I am thinking about using Task scheduler in Windows to set up a computer shutdown command in some way. Any other ideas?
I try to always use built-in functions in Windows to do a task before I use “other” software. Using little applications to perform tasks opens the door to bugs and crashes. Most of the times there are built in functions to perform most tasks. Most people just don’t know about or how to use them. Read More»
Posted in windows vista | 2 Comments »
