PCTips Box

You may be able to free up some valuable space if you’re using two disk partitions, using two physical drives, or dual-booting between XP and Vista on the same machine.

I’ll show you several steps you can take to eliminate duplicate files and get more out of your disks.

Decide on your multiple-partition strategy

Years ago, it was common for users seeking more reliability to divide a hard drive into two or more partitions: portions of a disk, each with a different drive letter. Back then, recovering data from drive d: was easier than from drive c: if the primary partition (containing Windows) became corrupted.

That configuration is rare today, because backup programs and disaster-recovery services have improved. But there are still three situations in which you might find yourself handling two or more partitions or physical disks: (more…)

Windows 7, the successor of Windows Vista, is set to bring to the table an overhauled graphical user interface. As far as Windows 7 Milestone 1 (M1) Ultimate Edition Build 6.1.6519.1 is concerned, Windows Aero has survived without any major redesign, for the time being. There is, however, a certain amount of specific nip and tuck touch-ups across the Windows Aero in Windows 7, for build 6.1.6519.1, but nothing definitive, and certainly nothing that provides a clue as to the final visual style of the next Windows iterations. But as an integer part of the Aero UI, the Start Menu is bound to take a heavy hit in terms of revamping in the user interface redesign that will be synonymous with the evolution from Windows Vista to Windows 7. (more…)

Microsoft KB article 929868 describes a problem which will cause you to experience very slow browsing on certain websites when using Internet Explorer 7 on Windows Vista, and eventually the website might even drop the data completely. The cause is that by default, Windows Vista Enterprise fully supports RFC 1323 and supports a Windows Scaling factor of 8. This issue occurs when a Web site does not fully support RFC 1323 or when a Web site does not support the default scaling factor.

THE QUICK FIX

To work around the slow browsing issue change the Windows Scaling to a factor of 2. First open and Administrator command line prompt. Click Start –> All Programs –> Accessories, right click Command Prompt, then left click Run as administrator. As an alternative you can click Start then type into the Start Search box, or the Run box, cmd, then use the shortcut keys Ctrl-Shift-Enter. (NOTE: After you set a new autotuninglevel you will need to reboot in order for the changes to take effect.) (more…)

It is really frustrating when you want to download something from MegaUpload, you will get the limited download slots message.

MegaUpload will ask you to download Megaupload Toolbar to continue download.

Well, now you can still download without having MegaUpload Toolbar installed yes, with this little tool, MegaUpload Country Blocked Killer.

MegaUpload Country Blocked Killer will bypass the country download slots check and you will get a shot to download your file.

This tool is in Spanish, but you can get the menu’s important notes/instructions translated to English by using tools like Google Language Tools. Anyway, I’ve got that covered for you. (more…)

Internet Explorer has some quirks as we all know. However, if there is any chance that you may uninstall Internet Explorer, there could be some problems. In fact, you may not even be able to start Windows with a full functioning desktop.

Apparently, Internet Explorer version 6 and 7 are not getting along. If you upgrade IE, uninstall, reinstall, or download a version from Yahoo, Google, or Adobe, then you may lose your Windows functions after you shut down your computer. When Windows starts up again, it boots to only a blank desktop screen. A popup window will give an error code of “iertutil.dll is missing or corrupt.” There is not a way to use Windows or see your taskbar. However, we can solve this quickly with the help of another computer and we can prevent this type of situation from happening again with all Windows programs. (more…)

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is without a doubt the main vector of attacks, when it comes down to web-based threats. Its ubiquity, as well as its intimate integration into the Windows platform, makes it an excellent avenue for attacks. With IE6, Microsoft has gained an ill reputation for failing dramatically to protect end users. From IE6, which undoubtedly is an apex of insecurity compared to alternative browsers, the Redmond company moved to Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 under User Account Control, virtually cutting the browser from the critical areas of the operating system. Web-based attacks coming via IE7 in Protect Mode will not be able to write themselves to disk without specific user permission, because the browser runs with the very least possible privileges. (more…)

Out with the old, in with the new. Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.0 are virtually slaughtering Internet Explorer 6. There was a time, unfortunately not too long ago, when Internet Explorer 7 ruled the world wide web. Back in October 2006, IE6 still accounted for approximately 80% of the global browser market. October 2006 was a turning point as both Microsoft and Mozilla released new versions of their respective browsers, namely Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.0.

According to statistics made available by Net Applications, in October 2006, IE6 had the lion’s share of the browser market with 77.22%. Internet Explorer 7 had climbed to 3.18%, while Firefox 2.0 was at 0.69%. At over a year since the availability of Firefox 2.0 has all but consumed the users of Firefox 1.5, a browser that is being run now by only 0.53% of Mozilla users. Of course, the fact that Mozilla had severed the lifeline of Firefox 1.5, cutting support on May 30, 2007, only helped to boost the adoption of version 2.0 (more…)

When you connect to a website your computer establishes connections with the web server(s). One connection might be a graphics server, another connection may be an ad server and so on. Once the connection has received what it asked for it is disconnected and used for something else.

By default IE7 is set to only be able to open 2 or 4 connections at a time. If you have broadband and you use tabs in IE7 or you visit sites that use lots of connections this tweak will increase the speed of IE7 a little. (more…)

The following tips can help improve your computer’s performance. These examples use Microsoft Windows XP. Some of the screens may differ from version to version, but overall you’ll find these tips work for all versions of Windows, including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.

By the way, in no way can you blow up your computer or files with any of these procedures. These tasks use utilities provided within the Windows operating systems to aid you in achieving the best system performance. This article does not address tinkering with the registry files. (more…)

With the first Beta of Internet Explorer 8 scheduled to drop by mid 2008, and with additional details on the successor of Internet Explorer 7 to be offered at MIX08 this March, Microsoft has started opening up on the browser little by little. First, Dean Hachamovitch, IE General Manager revealed in mid December that IE8 comes with support for a wide range of standards, and now, Chris Wilson, IE Platform Architect, offered an insight into Internet Explorer 8 compatibility. In this context, the promise is that IE8 will not break the web. (more…)