Tag: Desktop
January 12, 2010 by
Jason
Windows 7 RTM can eat up some of the desktop shortcuts created by end users, Microsoft explained. Customers running the latest iteration of the Windows client have reported that in certain scenarios shortcuts that they placed on the desktop disappeared altogether. According to the Redmond company, this is expected, by design, behavior in Windows 7. At fault is the System Maintenance troubleshooter that will delete all shortcuts from the desktop as long as they are considered broken.
“The System Maintenance troubleshooter performs a weekly maintenance of the operating system. The System Maintenance troubleshooter either fixes problems automatically or reports problems through Action Center. When there are more than four broken shortcuts on the desktop, the System Maintenance troubleshooter automatically removes all broken shortcuts from the desktop,” Microsoft stated.
According to the software giant, the System Maintenance troubleshooter has a certain limit that triggers it to delete broken shortcuts. Microsoft informs that keeping the number of broken shortcuts on the desktop to no more than four ensures that they won’t be touched. But place five broken shortcuts on the Windows 7 desktop and they will be deleted. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 1 Comment »
September 30, 2009 by
Jason When you consider that computers now consume about 10 percent of the electricity generated in North America and that a great many PCs still end up in landfills, leaching deadly chemicals, it makes sense to adopt more eco-friendly computing options.
John Hiddema, technical consultant for Nerds on Site, is one of the many people making a conscious effort to go green. He recycles, buys organic produce, uses cleaning products less harmful to the environment, owns energy-efficient appliances, and has configured his
PC to use less energy. He’s also going green on the job. Some of the work he does for clients’ computer systems can be done remotely from his home office, drastically reducing his need for a car.
Here are some tips for making your technology use more eco-friendly.
1. Manage power consumption
Did you know that approximately 40 percent of the energy used for home electronics is consumed while these devices are turned off or idling? Techies refer to computers and related gadgets that draw power while not in use as vampire load. Turn off and unplug everything when you’re not using it. Even simpler: shut down everything and then turn off the power bar. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »
February 07, 2009 by
Jason Microsoft is introducing a similar strategy for Windows 7 as it did for Windows Vista when it comes down to offering customers resources designed to streamline the adoption process. With the next iteration of the Windows client having debuted into public Beta at the beginning of January 2009, the Redmond company has adapted a solution accelerator initially offered for Windows Vista to Windows 7. With the February 2009 release of Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP), the toolkit is designed to integrate seamlessly with both Windows 7 Beta client and Windows 7 Server Beta (Windows Server 2008 R2).
“Our team have just released an update to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 3.2 for Windows migration that is now available to install on a machine with Windows 7 Beta. Check out the MAP Toolkit now and start planning your desktop deployment projects,” revealed Baldwin Ng, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators, earlier this week. However, Ng pointed out that while the latest release of MAP 3.2 does indeed play nice with both Windows 7 client Beta and Windows Server 2008 R2, the solution accelerator is not designed to assess infrastructures for compatibility, readiness and hardware resources necessary to run the next version of the Windows operating system. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
November 27, 2008 by
Jason Once again, it’s time to enhance your Windows XP operating system exactly the way you want and without paying a cent on expensive programs that do something so simple that even a kid could handle it. This series allows you to make important changes to the look, feel and behavior of your Microsoft Windows XP with just the help of the good ol’ Notepad. These tweaks, performed on the Windows Registry, can be undone, but it’s very important that you follow a few steps and remember that the lines you are about to copy must be carefully selected and/or copied, because a single misplaced / missing / added character may seriously damage your OS.
So, before continuing our journey into the land of magical tweaks, it’s imperative that you read the first article in the series to understand not only the basic rules that must be followed in order to get the job done right, but also… what’s the deal with all the bold lines below. Before starting yet another series of desktop tweaks, please allow me to remind you not to leave the tweaks.reg file blank after opening it. Therefore, now that you’re viewing it in Notepad and have placed the “Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00” [without the quotes] at the beginning, let’s start optimizing. Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »
November 24, 2008 by
Jason
Someone had once remarked that simplicity is making the journey of life with just baggage enough. Sometimes, I try to apply the same axiom to my ‘soft aware’ life too. And that involves squeezing the maximum juice out of what’s available in my computer.
One thing that has always been available since the last 20 years from the birth of Windows has been the ‘un-noteworthy’ Notepad. Life with Notepad couldn’t be any simpler. It strips all formatting and keeps data in its plain format. It doesn’t ask for any special Windows resources, comes up in a blink of an eye and doesn’t nag you with any dialog boxes or prompts.
We all use Notepad to store our scraps of data as text files. But with a little bit of tip and tuck it can be made into an effective sticky note. Here I am going to show you how to get your own version of sticky notes with just the Notepad and any version of Windows. Read More»
Posted in Software | No Comments »
September 10, 2008 by
Jason Windows Aero is the premium visual experience of Windows Vista. It features a transparent glass design with subtle window animations and new window colors.
Here are some solutions to common problem with running Windows Aero.
Which editions of Windows Vista include Aero?
The following editions include Aero:
Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Premium, and Windows Vista Ultimate. Aero is not included in Windows XP or earlier versions of Windows.
To find out which edition of Windows Vista you have on your computer, do the following:
Open Welcome Center by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Welcome Center.
The edition of Windows Vista you’re running is displayed with your computer details near the top of the window. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
Desktops 1.0 from Sysinternals is designed to kick the flexibility of the Windows desktop up a notch. The solution to an overcrowded working space has always been simple, and Microsoft is by no means reinventing the wheel. What the Sysinternals utility will do, is allow the end users to stretch across no less than four desktops, delivering much precious real estate area. Users will subsequently be able to jump between desktops using either keyboard shortcuts or the tray icon.
“Desktops allows you to organize your applications on up to four virtual desktops. Read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work in your productivity software on the third, without the clutter of the windows you’re not using. After you configure hotkeys for switching desktops, you can create and switch desktops either by clicking on the tray icon to open a desktop preview and switching window, or by using the hotkeys,” reads the tool’s description.
Of course that Desktops 1.0 can be downloaded to the desktop and integrated with the operating system. Or it can be run remotely via Live.Sysinternals.com. The tool will integrate seamlessly with both Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. In addition to Desktops 1.0, which went live on August 21, Microsoft has also updated AutoRuns for Windows which has now reached version 9.33. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
I noticed that when you buy a new laptop, some of them, the desktop icons are too large and not proportional to its taskbar and startmenu. To change, press CTRL key and scroll your mouse down and up. Choose the size that is proportional and comfortable with you.
When I bought my laptop loaded with Windows Vista, the first thing that I have noticed is the RUN command in startmenu is missing. To put it back, Right-click in the taskbar -> Choose Properties -> Start menu tabs -> Customize -> scroll-down and check Run window.
Here’s a guide for changing the function of the Start menu power button. I always mistaken this one for shutdown, It goes to sleep rather than shutdown. If you enabled the Run command in start menu click it, if not just press WindowsKey+R. Type “cmd” and press enter. type “powercfg.cpl,1″ without spaces. Scroll-down and find these options ‘Startmenu power button’.
Turn-on Quick search, this is very useful when searching inside a folder. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
Windows Aero may add pizzazz to the interface, but depending on your hardware, it may also slow down your system. You can speed up your PC by turning it off altogether, or by turning off some Aero features but leaving others on.
To turn off Aero:
1. Right-click the Windows desktop and select Personalize > Window Color and Appearance.
2. Click Open classic appearance properties for more color options.
3. In the Color scheme drop-down box, choose Windows Vista Basic or Windows Vista Standard, and click OK. Aero will now be turned off.
What if there are some things you like about Aero, such as window animations, but others you don’t like, such as transparent windows? You can turn off some Aero features to speed up your PC but leave on others that you like using. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | 1 Comment »
A picture is worth a thousand words. It’s also much easier for someone trying to help you solve a computer problem if they have access to your computer. They can see the problem and figure it out much faster if they can access your computer rather than taking shots in the dark by asking you all kinds of questions.
This guide shows you how to ask for remote assistance which enables someone to view or control your computer remotely.
Warning: Only give people you trust access to your computer with Remote Assistance. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Windows Vista | No Comments »
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