Windows Vista tutorial, Internet tutorials

Using online Babylon dictionary

2009-04-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Lately, Babylon have provided online dictionary in URL http://dictionary.babylon.com , you can use dictionary whenever, wherever.

In order to look up in a dictionary, you type word into “Define” textfield and press Enter, Babylon will provide you meanings of that word.

Besides, Babylon provide Translation Toolbar help you look up in a dictionary faster when you are working without accessing to Babylon website. Translation Toolbar support Internet Explorer 5.0 and Firefox 2.0 or newer. You can download Translation Toolbar by clicking “Get the Translation Toolbar” icon.

Besides, if you want to embed Babylon dictionary into your website, you can use Google Gadget to do this. Firstly, accessing to http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=babylon&root=%2Fig&dpos=top , choose Babylon Translation Tool (of Guy Levy), then click “Embed this gadget” in “For Webmasters”, modify gadget interface, then click “Get the code” to receive code to embed into website.

My Top 4 iGoogle Gadgets

2009-04-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

I like using iGoogle because it makes me feel like I am already multitasking just by looking at my home page. The usual gadgets most people already have on iGoogle are probably GMail, to-do lists, and some favorite blogs. Here are the three gadgets that I love:

1. Listening to Podcasts in iGoogle

This is a new one I didn’t know about until yesterday. By going into “add a gadget”, and in the search box type your favorite podcast. For example, I added the Nature podcast to my iGoogle.

By clicking on “Add it now” the podcast episodes are added to your regular iGoogle homepage. By clicking on an episode, you can listen to it from within your browser and choose whether to save the file to your hard drive or not. I like this gadget because I listen to a lot of podcasts, and with a limited hard drive space it’s nice to not to save each and every episode when you don’t really want to listen to them twice.

2. GTalk in iGoogle

While I’m scanning the latest RSS feeds I get in iGoogle, I like being able to keep in touch with my GTalk

contacts on the same page. Search for “Google Talk”, and add the gadget to iGoogle. The result will look like the picture at the top of this article, and you can start any chat right from your homepage.

3. Picasa!

One of my all-time favorite ways of keeping track of my friend’s picture albums, especially those who don’t use Facebook, is to add their Picasa RSS feed to my iGoogle homepage. I wrote about how you can do this a little while ago on Google Tutor.

4. Facebook

When I am working I have countless tabs open (I can’t imagine how I did it before browser tabs were invented!), and Facebook tends to be one of them. I just added it to my iGoogle though, so I don’t need to pollute my browser with more tabs than I can handle without spending too much time navigating between them. To do the same, simply search for “Facebook” after clicking “Add a gadget” on iGoogle.

There are so many gadgets you can add to iGoogle, what rocks your home page? I’d love to hear about new interesting gadgets, and the ones that are truly making a difference in your day to day life, whether they are plain fun, or just make your life easier!

Using Google Groups To Backup Gmail

2009-04-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

One of the best features of GMail is its huge storage space. It’s almost near the 3GB mark and it’s still growing, giving us reassurance that Google was sincere when they said, “that you’ll never have to delete another message.”

Most GMail users by now, must have loved and mastered the labels and archive features of this free service from Google. The only e-mail they must have deleted besides those nasty spams are messages that are really not worth storing away in the GMail archives.

On the other hand, the rest of your messages are safely tucked in there, properly labeled and served immediately once you use the powerful search built in to GMail. This is all possible is you can access your GMail account.

Yes, unbelievable as it may sound, Google is not God and so its servers, from time to time, do suffer from internal glitches, bugs, attacks etc. that will render some of its wonderful services unavailable for its many thousands of users. That friends, include GMail.

During these rare occassions the worst thing could happen is that your messages could become lost (though I couldn’t imagine how since its Google who’s behind the service so this scenario is very remote) but hey being prepared for the worst comes from expecting the worst, no matter how confident and trustful you are of Google’s capabilities.

So what’s the solution? Back-up your GMail.

Not by setting up a forwarding feature to another non GMail address because those services could knocked down as well.

Not with any other 3rd-party service and not even in your own hardisk, but with Google Groups.

Yup, this nifty and uber-cool e-group service by Google is all you need to backup your GMail messages.

Here’s how you do it.

1) Create a new Google Group. Name it with something like “yourGMailaddress+archive” or “archivefor+yourGmailaddor” something similar.

2) Give it a description that will give you a hint that this is your backup archive for your Gmail.

3) Set Access level to “Restricted” since this would only be your GMail backup and archive.

4)Skip the “Invite members” step.

5) Go to “Group settings”

6) In the “Advanced” tab, click on the “Use Google Groups to manage remote archive” option. Enter your GMail address instead of a non-Google Grooup mailing list.

7) Click “Save Changes”. Remember to copy-paste the e-mail address in step number # 3. You’ll need it later on when we setup your GMail to forward messages to this Google Group.

Sample e-mail: archiveforyourgmailadd-garchive-41973@googlegroups.com

You’re done with the first part, which is creating a Google Group that will serve as backup and archive for your GMail messages.

Now we continue…

Log on to your GMail account.

9) Go to “Settings.” From here you have two options:

a) Set up your GMail to forward all your incoming messages to your archive Google Group.

a.1) Paste the Google Group archive e-mail we took note of earlier into the forwarding e-mail field.

b) Create a “Filter” to specify which messages to forward to your Google Group archive.

The specific details of this filter is all up to you.

b.1) Paste the Google Group archive e-mail address we took note of earlier into the “Forward it to” field.

Apply an appropriate label if you wish, then click “Create filter”.

You’re done! You just created a Google Group that would back up your GMail messages and setup your GMail account to forward your messages to that Google Group.

In the event you cannot acces your GMail, or you accidentally deleted a message, you can still access the messages sent to you via that backup Google Group and use other means available to respond to those messages.

Pretty neat, eh?

Don’t miss my other GMail tips while you are here, especially the popular Using GMail as your Universal Email Account post.

Gmail Craze: 40 + Tools and Hacks for Gmail

2009-04-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

All for Gmail: handy Firefox extensions, best Greasemonkey scripts, some desktop tools and lots of useful tips. Take this Gmail thingie to another level. Enjoy

FIREFOX EXTENSIONS

Gspace - multi-platform firefox addon that turns your gmail account into powerful online storage tool

Gmail Search Extension - search your gmail account directly from the firefox search bar

GcalQuickTab - toggle between gmail and google calendar with keyboard shortcuts

GTDInbox - turns your account into flexible and feature-loaded ToDo-management service (GTD = Getting Things Done)

GMail Manager - manage multiple GMail accounts right from your browser

DragDropUpload - this handy extension lets you quickly attach one or more files to your emails by dragging them over the “Attach a file” link

[update] CustomizeGoogle - removes ads, switches you from http to https, hides the spam counter, quick contacts box, invite box and forces fixed font

[update] Better Gmail - integrates bunch of cool features, i.e. attachment icons, attachment Reminder, mail preview, filter assistant, label colors, macros, and saved searches

[update] GmailSkinz - powerful firefox addon with lots of cool features: (Note: some users reported having problems with this addon)

change the colour of your inbox(from green to dark green),
view weather, google calendar and news headlines along side your emails,
integrate any Google IG module to sidebar menu(Awesome),
insert images from your Picasa web album in to emails,
insert smileys,
change the attachment paperclip to an icon indicating the type of attachment,
make the navigation (Inbox, Starred, Sent Mail, etc) horizontal,
hide various page elements (invite panel, page footer and your email address from the top right of inbox).
complete integration with Gmail: addon settings can be changed directly from the Gmail settings page.

Google Toolbar with Gmail search - Official Google toolbar featuring one-click Gmail search

E-Mail Notifier Toolbar | Gmail Notifier - as titles say ‘…notifier‘

GREASEMONKEY SCRIPTS (What is Greaseamonkey?)

Gmail Super Clean - clean and distraction-free gmail. Looks great, check it out here

Gmail Spam-count Hide - hides spam count link

GMail Attachment Icons - adds attachment icons to emails, letting you see what kind of attachment an email has (HTML,JPG, PDF….) [update: 'Attachment icons' isn't a standard greasemonkey script, it's an addon for a similar Firefox extension known as Stylish. However, installing it on greasemonkey should be fine as well]

Google Reader Integration - integrates Google Reader into Gmail. Highly Recommended (demo)

GmailTo - forces all ‘mailto’ links to open in GMail

Saved Searches - lets you create ’saved searches’(aka smart folders) and display them in the separate box in the navigation menu. Clicking on a search executes the saved query. Demo

Conversation Preview - handy addon that lets you quickly preview message contents right from the main inbox window. See demo below

Google Calendar Integration - integrates Google Calendar agenda into Gmail. Demo

Label Colors - lets you color menu labels to make them stand out better. Demo

Gmail Macros - adds extra keyboard shortcuts to Gmail (i.e. “t” for move to trash, “r” for mark as read, “p” for mark as read and add to archive…etc). Read more

[update] SSLGoogle - force google mail, docs and cal pages and their intra-links to a secure connection(HTTPS)

[update] Gmail Encrypt - encrypts outgoing emails

[update] Gmail Date Search - adds a Search by Date button to Gmail’s search form

[update] Gmail Signature Float - moves your mail signature to the top of the message rather than the bottom

Following image displays all above mentioned scripts in action(click to enlarge and open it in a new windows)

Desktop APPS and Web TOOLS:

GmailDrive (Windows) - adds a new virtual drive(’Gmail Drive’) to ‘My Computer‘ folder and uses gmail as its storage medium. Drag’n drop files Gmail Drive and it will store them on your gmail account as if on additional hard drive. More on GmailDrive

[update] gDisk (Mac) - similar to above mentioned GmailDrive but for Mac users

Gmail ToDo - handy desktop application that stores entered todo’s in a todo label on gmail

Desktop Notifiers: GMail Notifier(official release from Google), GTray (Win XP), GCount (Mac), Gmail+Growl 2.0 (GmailNotifier addon that lets you further customize ‘new mail’ alerts)

GMail for Mobile - access gmail from your mobile

GmailFS - mountable Linux filesystem which uses Gmail as its storage medium

Google Talk - Google’s IM service which is fully integrable with GMail

You’ve Got Gmail - Gmail plugin for Trillian IM client

Update: more notifiers: KCheckGmail(Linux), Notifier2(Win)
_

TIPS and HACKS

Unbl0ck - use this tool to access gmail from places where it’s blocked (work, school…)

Gmail icon generator - creates an image of your email address to minimize spam exposure

Gmail To Thunderbird - how to access your Gmail using Mozilla Thunderbird

Shortcut List - handy, printable list of keyboard shortcuts for the Gmail

Hotmail Contacts Import - explains how to import contacts from Hotmail to Gmail

Gmail trick that explains how to find that ’someone’ who gives away your email address to spammers

Attach any file type - bunch of tricks showing you how to attach and send blocked file types, i.e. ‘*.exe’

JimsTips - huge collection of basic gmail tips

[update] What to do if your Gmail is nearly full? See here.

[update] Secret keyboard shortcut for deleting messages. Check it out here

[update] How to - import your archived emails into Gmail

[update] How to - Backup Gmail your Gmail using Google Groups

[update] How to - Re download gmail messages into outlook

[update] How to - Work with Gmail Attachments (includes cool tips, Greasemonkey scripts and Firefox addons)

Windows Live Hotmail themes - new dynamic ones introduced

2009-04-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

Windows Live Hotmail is definitely listening to its users. I suppose many subscribers had shown an interest in customizing and personalizing their accounts with themes and, thus, we now have new ones made available including dynamic themes!

In the light of a fresh competitive initiative from Gmail who now allow users to create their own themes, Windows Live Hotmail doesn't want to be left behind. They have introduced ten new themes 6 of which are dynamic, meaning they change depending on the time of the day and the weather. Some old themes have also been renamed.

How to customize and personalize Windows Live Hotmail account with themes?

Windows Live Hotmail themes are available under "Options". Click on the link which displays a drop down menu with 8 themes. You can select one from this menu but I suggest you first check out all the themes available to you. Select "More themes" from the drop down which takes you to the Hotmail settings section.

You'll now be in the "Themes" page; click on the one you like and hit the "Save" button. You can always revert to your old theme or change to another one if you don't like your present selection.

Here is the latest list of standard Windows Live Hotmail themes to personalize and customize your email account:

Windows Live: the default blue theme that all of us got when we first made our Hotmail account.
Bamboo: Nice green.
Cherry Blossoms: Floral and pink.
Flourish: Pink and darkish.
Carbon: Dark and sober theme.
Graffiti : The urban art form.
Wildflowers : Orange and striking.
Moonlight : Dark theme with the moon hidden partly behind clouds - I like it!
Mesmerizing Brown : originally called Circular.
Dottie Orange: Orange in color and was earlier called Dottie.
Violet Springtime: Purple (or violet, if you like). Its earlier name was Floral.
Victorian Gray : Sober theme which was known as Victorian sometime back.

Dynamic Hotmail themes

Most of the new dynamic themes are cartoony and have line art.

Daisy Hill
Tugboat: A small tugboat on the seas
Robots: I'm sure my son would love this
Prairie: open land with a tree - looks great in the night time.
Desert: Sandy... what else?
Sports

Conclusion: It's heartening to know that Windows Live Hotmail is taking proactive steps to better the user experience and (more importantly) listening to customer feedback. Making new themes available may not be such a big deal for some but it shows that the customers are being kept in mind. The next step to match (or better) Gmail is, obviously, a provision for creating your own themes.

Blueish Exodeo - Windows Vista Themes

2009-04-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Description : Awsome black & blues color combination having styler toolbar.Multi color effects.

Author : hidafa

Download : Click here

Black & White Style - Windows Vista Styles

2009-04-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Description : Light colors with bulb background in the wallpaper. Quick links are available on desktop to open up different applications. New taskbar, New buttons and little more...

Author : weirdfish2

Download : Click here

Vista Black - Windows Vista Themes

2009-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Description : Brilliant work having black glass start menu.

Author : satukoro

Download : Click here

Vista Dark Aurorarian Darkside - Vista Themes

2009-04-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Description : The best skin in windows vista themes. People like it very much. Amazing work. Users of vista themes says: I love the way the borders dont lump up when they have focus like they do on the standard Vista skin. Love the pure white text for the title bar when it has focus too. Really like the right click menu, which looks slightly smaller than the vista right click menu which really works well.

Author : xpmania

Download : Click here

Desert morning - Visa Themes (Windows 7)

2009-04-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Description : A cool theme with HDD status bar, Start menu is white and transparent at the same time. The progress bar look awsome. Bundle contains theme, explorer.exe and explorerframe.dll (for the back/forward duttons).

Author Notes : Here is the new skin for Windows 7 build 7057. I have made some chanes to taskbar and start panel and fixed some minor bugs.

Author : alkhan

Download : Click here

Deep Metal - XP Blinds

2009-04-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Description : Cool blind, coated a sheep with metal color. A great scene in the sea. Dark brown colors combination have been used in a blind. For XP only.

Author : wimpyiam

Download : Click here

Add Defragment to the Right-Click Menu for a Drive

2009-04-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

After writing the article last week about how to add Disk Cleanup to the context menu for a drive, I received several requests for how to add another menu item for Defrag instead. With a simple registry hack we can do just that.

After manually applying or downloading the hack, you'll have a new item on the right-click menu for your drives…

Which will start up the command-line version of Disk Defragmenter (after accepting the UAC prompt)

Manual Registry Hack

Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search or run box, and then browse down to the following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell

Create a new key under shell called "runas", and then set the (Default) value to "Defragment". If you want to hide this menu item behind the Shift key right-click menu, then add a new string called Extended with no value.

Next, you'll need to create a key called "command" and set the default value to the following, which is the command to run defrag with the default options but show verbose output.

defrag %1 -v

You can alternately choose from one of the other defrag switches here if you'd like.

Downloadable Registry Hack

Simply download, extract, and double-click on either AddDefragToDriveMenu.reg (for the regular menu) or AddDefragToExtendedDriveMenu.reg (to hide behind the Shift key). There's also an included removal script that will remove either one.

Create a Shortcut or Hotkey to Turn Off the Monitor

2009-04-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to hit a shortcut key to turn off the monitor? Sure, you can use the Win+L combination to lock the screen, but that leaves your monitor on… and those of us with multiple monitors find it a pain to hunt down the power buttons all the time.

First we'll show you how to simply power off the monitor, and then how to both lock and power it off.

Create a Shortcut to Turn Off the Monitor

To create this shortcut, we'll first need to grab a tiny multi-purpose utility called NirCmd from the great folks over at NirSoft. This Swiss-army knife tool can do an amazing array of tasks, including powering off the monitor. All we really need to do is create a shortcut to it.

Right-click anywhere on the desktop and choose New \ Shortcut:

Then you'll want to browse to the location where you saved the nircmd.exe file, and add the following arguments:

"C:\path\to\nircmd.exe" cmdwait 1000 monitor off

Make sure the path has quotes around it, and then you add the extra arguments, which will wait 1 second before powering off the monitor (otherwise Windows might misinterpret your last keystroke and wake back up).

Next you can go into the shortcut properties and assign a shortcut key, and then click Change Icon to pick a better one than the default.

In Vista, at least, there's a great icon for turning off the monitor… pick the somewhat ugly one from the list below:

And when the icon actually shows up, it's nice and shiny. Of course you are free to pick your own icon instead.

Lock the Workstation Too

For extra credit, you can create a shortcut that both locks the workstation as well as turns the monitor off. Unfortunately the Nircmd way involves more steps than necessary in Vista (in my testing, at least), so I've created a tiny executable called LockAndPowerDown.exe that will do both in one step.

To install it, simply download and extract the executable, and create a shortcut to it just as you did in the step above. To find the same icon, click on Change Icon, and then paste in "C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll" into the browse box.

The application is written in AutoHotkey and the source code is included in the download file. Enjoy!

Remove unnecessary Windows Vista features

2009-04-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Like most Microsoft operating systems, Vista uses the 'kitchen sink' approach, bundling more software and applications than you are ever likely to use. Let's look at streamlining your Vista PC a bit and saving some drive space by removing some of these unnecessary applications.

To remove unwanted Vista components:

Go to 'start/control panel/programs/uninstall a program'.

In the sidebar, click 'turn windows features on and off'.

The checkboxes list optional features that can be added or disabled. Good options for removal include games, DFS file replication service, windows meeting space and tablet tools.

Enable Windows classic desktop

2009-04-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

If you just can't get used to the look of the Vista interface, or you are running under 1GB of memory and you need to speed up the desktop, try enabling the Windows Classic interface. This is a two step process involving changing both the desktop settings and the Start menu. Note that while in XP the 'classic interface' was that of Windows 2000, in Windows Vista it is the XP interface that is brought up when you make this change.

To revert to the Windows classic interface:

Right click on the 'start' menu and click 'properties'.

Select the 'classic start menu' option and click 'ok'.

Right click on an empty area of the desktop and choose 'personalize.'

Select the 'theme' option.

In the 'theme' dropdown box, choose 'Windows Classic.'

Click 'ok'.

All the bells and whistles are now gone completely.

Use checkboxes for multiple file selection

2009-04-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

This tip is a perfect example of why people should not give up on Windows Vista. Lurking within the standard Vista explorer interface is a really, really convenient way to highlight multiple files without using shift or CTRL. Welcome to the era of the checkbox. Once you have enabled this feature, you will see a little checkbox at the upper left corner of each icon in the explorer window. Checking this box will highlight the file in question. Genius.

To enable checkbox file selection in Windows Vista:
Go to 'start/computer'.
Click the 'organize' menu and choose 'folder and search options'.
Select the 'view' tab.
Scroll down and check the 'use check boxes to select items' option.

Add "My Computer" to Your Vista Taskbar

2009-04-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

I like to have the quickest access possible to folders on my desktop, which usually means putting something onto the taskbar if possible. You can add the Computer menu as a folder on the taskbar for the easiest access to your drives. You could also use this tip for any folder you want.

To add a folder to the taskbar, just right-click on the taskbar and choose the Toolbars menu, and then click on New Toolbar.

Just find the folder that you want… in this instance we'll select the Computer icon and then click on Select Folder.

Now you can see the Computer folder right there on the taskbar. If you click the little arrows it will pop up and let you browse through all your drives.

I always add the Desktop to the toolbar as well.

Disable Shortcut Icon Arrow Overlay in Windows Vista

2009-04-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

The shortcut icons in Windows Vista have Huge arrows on them. If you are worried about the look of your desktop, you may not want to see the ugly arrows. Here's some before and after pictures so you'll know what to expect:

Default:

Shortcut Arrow Removed:

Note: Because so many people have written in about problems with the registry tweaks, I'm going to suggest that you use the FrameworkX application first, and I'm removing the registry tweaks from this page.

Preferred Method: Using Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover utility

You can download a small, free utility from Frameworkx.com that will easily let you remove the shortcut arrows without having to do any registry patches. See how easy it is:

Update: I've stashed the file locally on this server since the original site is dead in the water.

What is my IP address

2009-04-01T19:24:00.001-07:00

Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is used to identify your computer on a network. Most people will have an Internal and External IP address:

An Internal IP Address is one given to each computer on a local network (for example, each computer connected to a router has an internal IP address). These normally start with 169 or 192.
An External IP Address is used when you connect to the internet, and would be assigned to your router. If you connect directly to the internet from your PC, this may be the only IP address you have.

To identify your Internal computers IP addresses, start the command prompt by running cmd from the run menu (press WINDOWS KEY + R to load this):

Then, type ipconfig and press enter:

Clear DNS Cache

2009-04-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Some Internet browsing problems can be caused by invalid DNS cache entries stored on your PC. This normally speeds up accessing websites, as it knows the previous location of the web server. If you get DNS or 404 errors when browsing a particular website, it might be worth trying this tip and restarting your browser.

First, start the run box (You can do this by pressing WINDOWS KEY + R) and then type in the following and click OK:

ipconfig /flushdns

This will briefly flash a DOS box up, confirming that the DNS cache has been flushed:

How to Resize a Partition

2009-04-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista includes a great tool for resizing partitions without losing data, which is something that used to require 3rd party tools in previous versions of Windows (such as Partition Magic).

Of course, with any process involving changing the way your data is stored, I would recommend backing anything important up to external storage.

To load the Disk Management too, click on the Start Menu then right click on Computer and select Manage.

Then select Disk Management from the storage section in the left panel. This will bring up an overview screen showing all of the drives in the computer.

Select the partition you want to resize by right clicking on it and choosing either "shrink" or "expand" to change the partition size.

Vista CHKDSK

2009-04-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista comes with an disk error checking tool, called CHKDSK (sometimes called scandisk in older versions of Windows). This allows you to scan, check and repair and errors that may be present on your hard drive.

This will sometimes run automatically if Vista fails to shutdown correctly, but you can also run it yourself (either graphically or from the command line). If you wish to check your main boot drive, you will need to restart and perform the scan before Vista loads (which it will prompt you to do automatically).

Graphical CHKDSK

To start the graphical disk checking tool, load up "Computer" from the start menu to view all your drives:

You can now right click on one of your drive icons and click Properties:

Then click on the Tools tab, followed by Check Now (located under "Error Checking"):

This will load the disk checking tool, allowing you select the starting options. It is always recommended that you leave the first box ticked (Automatically fix file system errors), as this will correct any problems found. If you wish to do a more thorough test, tick the 2nd box (Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors). It is recommended that you perform this test if you suspect there are drive problems, rather than a routine scan. Once you have configured the scan, click Start:

If you are prompted with "Windows can't check the disk while it's in use", this means you will need to allow windows to perform the scan on the next boot-up:

Command Line Utility

If you wish to use the command line version of CHKDSK, use the command "chkdsk". The full command line switches are listed below:

Code:

CHKDSK [volume[[path]filename]]] [/F] [/V] [/R] [/X] [/i] [/C] [/L[:size]] [/b]

 volume          Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
                 mount point, or volume name.
 filename        FAT/FAT32 only: Specifies the files to check for fragmentation
.
 /F              Fixes errors on the disk.
 /V              On FAT/FAT32: Displays the full path and name of every file
                 on the disk.
                 On NTFS: Displays cleanup messages if any.
 /R              Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information
                 (implies /F).
 /L:size         NTFS only:  Changes the log file size to the specified number
                 of kilobytes.  If size is not specified, displays current
                 size.
 /X              Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
                 All opened handles to the volume would then be invalid
                 (implies /F).
 /I              NTFS only: Performs a less vigorous check of index entries.
 /C              NTFS only: Skips checking of cycles within the folder
                 structure.
 /B              NTFS only: Re-evaluates bad clusters on the volume
                 (implies /R)
The /I or /C switch reduces the amount of time required to run Chkdsk by
skipping certain checks of the volume.

Windows Vista file management

2009-04-01T02:46:00.000-07:00

Automatic Vista Backups

Select Multiple Files with Checkboxes

Delete Temporary Files

Hide Hard Drive

Hide Hard Drive

2009-04-01T02:39:00.000-07:00

It is possible to hide a hard drive letter using Windows Vista, preventing it from showing up in applications and Windows Explorer. However, this will not prevent you from access files from it manually (by browsing directly to it by typing "D:" for example). This can be useful to hide files quickly and easily.

To being, load the Registry Editor from the run box (Press WINDOWS KEY + R to access this) by typing "regedit" and clicking OK:

Once this loads, browse to the following registry key on the left hand side:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer

Then, right click on the white space in the right hand side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and call it "NoDrives":

Double click on "NoDrives" to enter a Decimal value. This value depends on the drives you wish to hide, and is created by adding the numbers for each drive you wish to hide from the list below. Click OK once you have entered this number.

For example, to hide drive D you would enter a decimal value of 8. To hide both drives D and E, you would enter a decimal value of 24 (8+16):

A = 1
B = 2
C = 4
D = 8
E = 16
F = 32
G = 64
H = 128
I = 256
J = 512
K = 1024
L = 2048
M = 4096
N = 8192
O = 16384
P = 32768
Q = 65536
R = 131072
S = 262144
T = 524288
U = 1048576
V = 2097152
W = 4194304
X = 8388608
Y =16777216
Z = 33554432
All drives = 67108863

Once you restart your computer, the selected drives should be hidden. If you wish to remove the hidden drives, browse to the NoDrives registry value and delete it.

As with all registry modifications, care should be taken to ensure that these steps are followed exactly. You should make a backup of your system before any major changes should things go wrong.

Delete Temporary Files

2009-04-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista includes a very useful "Disk Cleanup Tool" which does exactly as the name suggests, and allows you to remove a wide variety of temporary and cached files that you no longer need. Most applications will automatically remove the temporary files once you have closed the software down, but in some cases (such as crashes or bad programming), trails can be left behind. Removing these files will create extra diskspace and keep your system in good condition.

To begin, load the Run box by pressing WINDOWS KEY + R, then type "cleanmgr" and click OK:

Now, select the drive you wish to clean up. Normally the "C:" is your primary drive where temporary files will be located. Click OK once you have done this:

It may take a few moments while the cleanup software scans your drive for files that are safe to remove:

You can then select all of the temporary file types you wish to remove. It is not normally worth removing Image Thumbnail files as these will just be recreated next time you view a photo directory. Once you have selected the file types you want to remove, click OK:

You will be prompted to confirm you are sure about the deletion. If you are sure, click Delete Files:

The Disk Cleanup Tool will then remove the selected files and close, successfully reclaiming some diskspace:

Select Multiple Files with Checkboxes

2009-04-01T02:31:00.000-07:00

There are many occasions when you will want to select multiple files in Windows Explorer view when the normal "drag and highlight" can't cope with the spread of files.

The usual method of selecting these multiple files is to hold down CTRL and then single click on each file you wish to select.

However, Windows Vista has introduced a much easier and more convenient method of selecting multiple files.

To enable this, load Windows Explorer by pressing WINDOWS KEY + E or going to Start Menu > Computer. Now, click on the Organise button, then Folder and Search Options:

Then click the View tab and tick Use Check Boxes to Select Items, followed by OK:

When you return to the Explorer window, you will be able to select each item by single clicking on it:

Automatic Vista Backups

2009-04-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista includes an option to back up documents, photos and several other file types automatically, on a schedule you select. However, you can't select to backup your entire PC on a regular basis by default.

If you have a NAS drive or 2nd hard drive, it would be ideal to be able to automatically backup your computer should the worse happen. Thankfully, you can use the command line interface and the "Task Scheduler" to create an automated backup solution without any other software. This will only work with Ultimate, Business or Enterprise editions of Vista in Administrator mode.

To begin, load the Task Scheduler by starting taskschd.msc from the run box (press WINDOWS KEY + R to load this):

Once the Task Scheduler has loaded, click Create Basic Task:

Now, enter a name and an optional description for your automated backup script:

You can now choose the intervals at which you want your backup to run (weekly or monthly would be sensible, depending on how often you need backups). Click Next when you are done:

Select a time of day for the script to start based on your interval selection, then click Next:

Now, select Start a Program and click Next:

For the "Program/Script" box, enter the following command:

wbadmin

Then, the following arguments to the next box:

start backup -allcritical -backuptarget:d: -include:c: -quiet

This example argument assumes you are backing up the entire C: and storing the backup on the D:. You can chance the storage paths by editing the values above. Once you are done, click Next:

This final screen lets you confirm the backup script details. If everything appears correct, click OK:

When the script starts, a command box similar to the one below will load. This will show you the progress of the backup and close automatically once complete. All of the backups will be stored in a "WindowsImageBackup" folder on the backup drive you selected, should you need to restore the computer using the Vista installation disk:

Windows Vista file management

2009-04-01T01:51:00.001-07:00

Automatic Vista Backups
Select Multiple Files with Checkboxes
Delete Temporary Files
Hide Hard Drive
Vista CHKDSK
Convert Docx to Doc File
How to Rename File
Recover Deleted Files
Complete PC Backup
Change Disk Letters
Take Ownership of Files
Show Hidden Files
How to Resize a Partition

Windows Vista tutorials for newbie

2009-04-01T01:42:00.000-07:00

What is Windows Vista?

Woking with Windows Vista desktop and taskbar

Shut down, Wake up computer in Windows Vista

What is program in Windows Vista and customize Start Menu

Woking with files and folders in Windows Vista

Desktop shortcut in Windows Vista

Woking with wallpaper in Windows Vista

Working with font in Windows Vista

Working with font in Windows Vista

2009-04-01T01:25:00.001-07:00

What is a font?

A font is a set of characters represented in a single typeface. Each character within a font is created by using the same basic style.

Can you explain font size?

Fonts are measured in points. There are 72 points to an inch. The number of points assigned to a font is based on the distance from the top to the bottom of its longest character.

How do I install a new font?

You must purchase or otherwise obtain the font you want to install. Then:

Click the Start button.
Click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Personalization.
Click Install or Remove a Font, which is located under Fonts. The Fonts window appears.
Click File, which is located on the menu bar of the Fonts window. Press the Alt key if you do not see the menu bar.
Click Install New Font.
Specify the drive and folder where the font you want to install is currently located. The fonts appear in the List of Fonts box.
Highlight the font you want to install.
Select Copy Fonts To Fonts Folder (this puts a copy of the font you are installing in the Fonts folder).
Click Install. If you are prompted for permission to continue, click Continue.Vista installs the font.
Click Close. The Add Fonts dialog box closes.

What is the Character Map?

The Character Map displays the characters available in a selected font. To view the Character Map dialog box:

Click the Start button.
Click All Programs. The All Programs menu appears.
Click Accessories. A submenu appears.
Click System Tools. A submenu appears.
Click Character Map.

The dialog box shown here appears.

Select a font from the Font field drop-down menu. The characters of the font appear in the boxes in the center of the window.
Click a character box to display an enlarged version of the character.
Double-click a character to send the character to the Characters To Copy field.
Click Copy. Vista places the character on the Clipboard. You can paste it into other programs.

Note: You can send multiple characters to the Characters to Copy field. Click the Copy button to move the Characters To Copy field contents to the Clipboard.

Woking with wallpaper in Windows Vista

2009-04-01T01:23:00.000-07:00

What is wallpaper?

Wallpaper is the background that displays on your desktop.

How do I change my wallpaper?

Click the Start button.
Click Control Panel, which is located on the right side of the Start menu. The Control panel appears.
Click Change the Desktop Background. It is listed under Appearance and Personalization.
Select the wallpaper you want from the ones that appear or click the down-arrow in the picture location field to select another wallpaper category. Note: If you would like to display an image you created, you can click Browse to find the image.
Click to select how you want your image to appear on the screen. Choose from the following:

Option	Explanation
Center	Place the image in the center of the screen.
Tile	Have the image display as tiles across and down the screen.
Stretch	Stretch the image so the image covers the

Desktop shortcut in Windows Vista

2009-04-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

What is a desktop shortcut?

A desktop shortcut, usually represented by an icon, is a small file that points to a program, folder, document, or Internet location. Clicking on a shortcut icon takes you directly to the object to which the shortcut points. Shortcut icons contain a small arrow in their lower-left corner. Shortcuts are merely pointers; deleting a shortcut does not delete the item to which the shortcut points.

How do I create a desktop shortcut?

If the item is located on the Start menu:

Click Start. The Start menu appears.
Locate the item to which you want to create a shortcut. If the item is located on a submenu, go to the submenu.
Right-click the item. A context menu appears.
Click Send To. A submenu appears.
Click Desktop (Create Shortcut). Vista creates a shortcut to the item.

If the item is visible in the Windows Explorer:

Open Windows Explorer.
Locate the item for which you want to create a shortcut.
Right-click the item. A context menu appears.
Click Send To. A submenu appears.
Click Desktop (Create Shortcut). Vista creates a shortcut to the item.

How do I create a desktop shortcut to a Web page?

If you are using Internet explorer:

Click the icon that precedes the URL on the address bar.
Drag the icon to your desk top. Vista creates the shortcut.

Now, when you click on the shortcut, the Web page will open.

How do I turn a Web link into a desktop shortcut?

Click the link in your browser window (usually underlined text) and drag it to the desktop. An icon appears on your desktop.
Click the icon to go directly to the link’s destination. If your browser is not open, clicking the icon starts the browser.

How does the Create Shortcut Wizard work?

You can use the Create Shortcut Wizard to add a shortcut to your desktop.

Right-click the desktop. A context menu appears.
Click New. A submenu appears.
Click Shortcut. The Create Shortcut dialog box appears.
Type in the location of the item to which you want to create a shortcut. Alternatively, browse to find the item.
Click Next. The next Create Shortcut dialog box appears.
Accept the default name or type in a new name.
Click Finish. Vista creates the shortcut.

How do I rename a desktop shortcut?

The name of the desktop shortcut displays below its icon. For example, if you create a shortcut to the program Microsoft Word, the name Microsoft Word displays below the icon. To rename a shortcut:

Right-click the shortcut. A context menu appears.
Click Rename.
Type a new name.
Press Enter. Vista renames the icon.

I have a shortcut that opens a program on my desktop. How do I add it to the Start menu?

Right-click the shortcut icon. A menu appears.
Click Pin To Start menu. The program appears on the Start menu, above the horizontal line.

How do I change the icon associated with an object on the desktop?

Right-click the icon. The context menu appears.
Click Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
Click the Change Icon button. The Change Icon dialog box appears.
Click the icon of your choice.
Click OK. The Change Icon dialog box closes.
Click Apply.
Click OK. Vista closes the Properties dialog box. Vista changes the icon.

Note: Not all icons can be changed. If you do not see the Change Icon button or if the change icon button is dimmed, the icon cannot be changed.

How do I delete a desktop shortcut?

Click the shortcut.
Press the Delete key. Vista asks if you are sure you want to delete the shortcut.
Click Yes.

Remember, shortcuts have an arrow in the lower-left corner. If the icon you delete does not have an arrow in the lower-left corner, it is not a shortcut and deleting the icon deletes the object.

Woking with files and folders in Windows Vista

2009-04-01T01:20:00.000-07:00

How can I quickly locate files and folders?

You can use the Vista Search feature to locate documents, folders, pictures, music, and e-mails that are located on your computer. You can also use the Vista Search feature to locate a document that includes a particular word or phrase. When you click Search on the Start menu, the Search window appears. A search field is located in the upper-right corner of the window. In the search field, type the name of the file or folder you are looking for, the date it was last modified, or even the author of the file. As you type, Vista searches for the file. Vista also provides you with a several options to narrow your search. You can click All to search everything, E-mail to search e-mail, Document to search documents, and so on.

Click the Start button.
Click Search. The Search dialog box appears.
Type the filename, the folder name, the date the file was last modified, or the author of the file in the Search field. As you type, Vista attempts to locate the file. The results of the search appear in the window. You can click the filename to open the file.

By default, vista searches indexed locations. Indexed locations are locations that are stored in your Personal folder. To close the Search window, click the X in the upper-right corner.

What does the Advanced Search option do?

In the Search Explorer window, you can click the button next to the words Advanced Search to display several options with which you can refine your search. The advanced search option enables you to search by date, location, file size, or property.

Field	Entry Type
Date	Find any file that was created or modified on, before, or after a specified date.
Location	Specify where you want to look. Indexed locations are locations that are stored in your Personal folder.
Size	Specify that you want to look for files that are above or below a certain size.
Property	Limit your search to files that have a specific name, tag, or author.

To close the Search window, click the X in the upper-right corner.

What is the Most Recently Used Document list?

As you work, Windows Vista tracks the files and programs you have used. It lists these files and programs on the Most Recently Used Document list. To view the list:

Click the Start button.
Click Recent Items on the right side of the Start menu. A list of recent files and programs appears.

To open a file listed on the Most Recently Used Document list, click the filename.

How do I set the number of files that display on my Most Recently Used Document list?

Right-click the Start button. A context menu appears.
Click Properties. The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box appears.
Click the Start Menu tab.
Click Customize. The Customize Start Menu dialog box appears.
Type the number of files you want Vista to display in the Number of Recent Programs to Display field. You can enter any number between 0 and 30.
Click OK. The Customize Start Menu dialog box closes.
Click Apply.
Click OK. Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box closes and Vista resets the number of files that display on the Most Recently Used Document list.

How do I disable my Most Recently Used Document list?

Right-click the Start button. A context menu appears.
Click Properties. The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box appears.
Click the Start Menu tab.
Deselect Store and Display a List of Recently Opened Files.
Deselect Store and Display a List of Recently Opened Programs.
Click Apply.
Click OK. Vista clears and stops maintaining your most recently used document list.

What is program in Windows Vista and customize Start Menu

2009-04-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

What is a program?

You use programs, also referred to as software, to perform tasks when using a computer. For example, if you want to use your computer to write a letter, you can use a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word. If you want to keep accounting records, you can use an accounting program such as QuickBooks.

How do I start a program?

To start a program:

Click the Start button, located in the lower-left corner of your screen. A menu showing the programs you use most frequently appears on the left, and commonly performed tasks appear on the right.
Click the program you want to open. Vista starts the program.

I do not see the program I want to open. What should I do?

After you click the Start button, a search box appears just above it. You can use the search box to locate programs or anything else that is located on your computer, including documents that contain the word you type. Type the name of the program, e-mail, file, or whatever you are looking for in the Search box. Vista searches your computer. The results of the search appear on the Start menu. When you see the program you are looking for, you can click the program name to open the program.

Is there a menu that lists all my programs?

Click the Start button. The Start menu appears.
Click All Programs. A listing of programs and program folders appears.
Click a program to open a program, or click a folder to open a folder and then click the program name. Vista starts the program.

Note: You may not be able to view all of your programs on the screen at one time. Click and drag the scrollbar up or down to change which programs are in view.

Can I customize the Start menu?

You can customize the Start menu to suit your personal style. If you right-click the Start menu, a context menu appears (a context menu performs an action related specifically to the object you click). You can click an option on the context menu to perform all of the actions discussed in the next several questions.

How do I add a program to the first page of the Start menu?

Find the program name in the All Programs list.
Right-click the program name. A context menu appears.
Click Pin To Start Menu. The program appears on the first page of the Start menu above the horizontal line.

How do I remove a program from the first page of the Start menu?

Right-click the program name. A context menu appears.
Click Unpin From Start Menu. Vista removes the program from the first page of the Start menu.

If the program is located below the horizontal line, right-click the program name and then click Remove from This List.

How do I copy an item that is located on the Start menu or the Program menu?

Right-click the item. A context menu appears.
Click Copy. Vista copies the program.

You can paste the copy to your desktop to create a desktop shortcut.

Right-click your desktop.
Click Paste. Vista creates a desktop shortcut.

How do I rename an item on the Start menu or the Program menu?

Right-click the item. A context menu appears.
Click Rename. Vista highlights the name.
Type the new name.
Press Enter. Vista changes the name.

Shut down, Wake up computer in Windows Vista

2009-04-01T01:18:00.001-07:00

When I finish working with my computer, what should I do?

When you finish working with your computer, you should put your computer in sleep mode:

Click the Start button. The Start menu appears.
Click the Power button. Vista puts your computer in the sleep mode.

When you click the Power button, Vista saves all of your work, turns off the display screen, and puts your computer in sleep mode. To indicate that your computer is in sleep mode, some of the lights on your computer may blink and/or change color.

What do you mean when you say my computer is in sleep mode?

In sleep mode, your computer consumes very little electricity. When you need to use your computer again, you can press your computer’s power-on switch to resume work quickly. Instead of shutting your computer down when you are not using your computer, you should put your computer in sleep mode.

I am using a laptop. Won’t putting my computer in sleep mode drain my computer’s battery?

A sleeping computer uses very little energy. Microsoft, the maker of Windows Vista, recommends that you put your computer, whether a desktop or a laptop, in sleep mode when you are not using it. A sleeping computer should not drain your computer’s battery. However, if your power becomes dangerously low, Vista saves your work to your hard drive and then shuts your computer down.

How do I wake up my computer?

To wake up your computer, press your computer’s power-on switch.

Do I ever need to shut down my computer?

Generally, when you are not using your computer, you should put your computer in sleep mode. However, if you are making changes to your computer hardware, such as installing memory or adding a hard drive, you should shut your computer down. You may also need to shut your computer down when you add hardware to your system, such as a new printer.

How do I shut down my computer?

Click the Start button. The Start menu appears.
Click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the start menu. A menu appears.
Click Shut Down. Your computer shuts down.

When you need to restart your computer, press your computer’s power-on switch.

Woking with Windows Vista desktop and taskbar

2009-04-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

What is a desktop?

If you are using Windows Vista, after you start your computer the first thing you see is the desktop. The desktop is your work area.

Can you explain the Windows Vista desktop?

The following table explains the various features of the Windows Vista desktop.

Feature	Explanation
Taskbar	By default, the taskbar is located on the bottom edge of the desktop. You can click the taskbar and drag it to other locations. The Start button, active program buttons, icons for quick access to programs, and the notification area are located on the taskbar.
Recycle Bin	When you delete an object, Windows Vista sends it to the Recycle Bin. You can restore objects from the Recycle Bin or you can permanently delete them.
Shortcut icon	Icons with an arrow in the lower-left corner are shortcut icons. Click the icon for quick access to the object it represents (program, document, printer, and so on).
Program, folder, and document icons	Program, folder, and document icons do not have an arrow in the lower-left corner. These icons represent the actual objects and provide direct access to the objects. Be careful: When you delete a program, folder, or document icon, you are deleting the actual program, folder, or document.
Sidebar	The default placement for the Windows Vista sidebar is along the right side of your desktop. You can use the sidebar to display gadgets. Gadgets are small programs with which you can display a clock, post notes, track stocks, or perform other miscellaneous tasks.

Can you explain the taskbar?

The taskbar is a long bar that by default runs along the bottom of your desktop. The Start button, Quick Launch toolbar, active program buttons, and the notification area are located on the taskbar.

1	Start	2	Quick Launch Toolbar
3	Active Program Buttons	4	Notification Area

You click the Start button to display the Start menu. You use the Start menu to open programs and to perform other functions such as searching for files.

On the taskbar, right next to the Start button is the Quick Launch toolbar. Using the Quick Launch toolbar, you can open a program or file simply by clicking its icon. To add an icon to the Quick Launch toolbar:

Locate the program you want to add.
Right-click. A context menu appears.
Click Add to Quick Launch. Vista adds the program to the Quick Launch toolbar.

Show Desktop

Switch Between Windows

Two icons appear on the Quick Launch toolbar by default: the Show Desktop icon and the Switch between Windows icon. You can display the desktop by clicking the Show Desktop icon. You can use the Switch between Windows icon to display all open windows in 3D flip if your version of windows has Aero or you can use the Switch between Windows icon to tab through open windows if your version of Vista does not have Aero.

When using Vista, each program, document, or other type of file opens in its own window. You can have multiple programs, documents, and files open at a given time. A button for each open program, file, or document window displays on the taskbar. You can quickly move from one open file to another open file by clicking the files button. If you have a large number of files open, Vista may group all files of a given type together. For example, if you have several Microsoft Word documents open, Vista may group them together. When you click the button for Microsoft Word, Vista displays a menu of open Word files. You can click the document you want to open.

The notification area is located on the right side of the task bar. It displays several icons and the current time. The icons that display depend on the way in which your computer is configured. You can move your mouse pointer over an icon to see the current settings for the option the icon represents. In many cases, you can click the icon to change the settings. For example, the Volume icon is located in the notification area. When you pause your over the Volume icon the volume setting for the speakers on your computer appears. You can click the icon to adjust the volume.

What is Windows Vista?

2009-04-01T01:09:00.001-07:00

Operating systems control the functions performed by a computer. For example, the operating system on your computer controls the input from the keyboard and mouse to your computer, the opening and closing of programs, the transfer of information to a printer, the organization of the files on your computer, and the screen display. To function, every computer must have an operating system. Windows Vista is an operating system. It was released by the Microsoft Corporation in late 2006.

Windows Vista comes in several versions: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise. The features available to you depend on the version of Windows Vista you have.

Windows Vista Enterprise is for large global organizations and is only available to organizations with desktops covered by Software Assurance agreements or organizations with a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that includes the Windows desktop component.

Windows Vista Home Basic is the entry-level edition. Geared toward home computer users, Home Basic has features that allow you to search your computer, search the Web, browse the Internet, view photos, send and retrieve e-mail, and set parental controls. Windows Defender and Windows Firewall are included with Windows Vista Home Basic. Windows Defender helps protect your computer from spyware. Spyware is malicious software you install on your computer inadvertently or is put on your computer without your consent. Windows Firewall helps protect your computer from malicious software and unauthorized access to your computer.

Windows Vista Home Premium has most of the features found in Windows Vista Home Basic plus additional features such as Aero, Windows Media Center, Windows Meeting Space, Windows Mobility Center, Windows SideShow, and Tablet PC support. Windows Aero features translucent windows and smooth animations, including the capability to do three-dimensional flips through open windows. It also provides a thumbnail preview of the contents of open windows when you pause your mouse pointer over the window’s identifier on the taskbar or Alt-Tab through windows. With Windows Media Center, you can record and watch TV shows, listen to Internet and FM radio, view home movies, create slide shows, and burn CDs or DVDs. You can use Windows Meeting Space to set up meetings in which you can share documents, programs, or your desktop with others. Windows Mobility Center provides a convenient location for you to adjust the settings for your mobile PC. With Windows SideShow, you can send information from your computer to other devices such as mobile phones, hand-held computers, and TVs. A tablet PC is a mobile computer that you can interact with by writing on the screen or by using your finger or a pen. You can use Windows Vista Premium with a tablet PC.

Windows Vista Business is designed for small businesses. It is simple to use and has mechanisms that protect your information from unauthorized viewing.

Windows Ultimate includes all the features of Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Business and has extra features such as DreamScene, Language Packs, and BitLocker Drive Encryption. With DreamScene, you can use full-motion video as your wallpaper. Language packs allow you to install multiple languages on a single PC. BitLocker Drive Encryption encrypts your data to protect it from unauthorized viewing.

Windows Vista Feature Comparison
Features	Basic	Home Premium	Business	Ultimate
Windows Defender	X	X	X	X
Windows Firewall	X	X	X	X
Instant Search	X	X	X	X
Network and Sharing Center	X	X	X	X
Internet Explorer 7	X	X	X	X
Parental Controls	X	X
Windows Aero		X	X	X
Mobility Center		X	X	X
Tablet PC Support		X	X	X
Windows Meeting Space		X	X	X
Windows Sideshow		X	X	X
Windows Media Center		X		X
Windows Complete Backup and Restore			X	X
Windows Fax and Scan			X	X
Scheduled Backup		X	X	X
Remote Desktop Connection			X	X
Window BitLocker Drive Encryption				X
Windows DVD Maker		X		X
Windows Movie Maker in High Definition		X		X
If you do not have Windows Vista or if the version of Windows Vista you have does not have the features you need, you can upgrade your operating system.

CREATE WINDOWS LIVE PHOTO ALBUM

2009-03-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

If you have already had MSN account, you can go to http://home.live.com/ and login to create your photo albums. Or you can register new MSN account:

1. Now let's click Sign Up to register new account, the form appear, you must type some your information, and click "I accept".

2.After registering successfully, you will be redirected to your MSN account. Now let's click "Create an album" to start to create new album.

3. Next, type your album name and choose share type (everyone, just me ... ), and click Next

4. Choose some your photos to upload and after uploading you will see your new album, below is my album (:D)

5. You can view your album by many types : icons, details, thumbnails (same as Windows Vista). Clicking "More" link, you can download your photo, edit, delete, rename ... your albums or photos.

6. If you want to view all photos as slideshow, you can click "Slideshow" to view.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR ARTWORK PHOTO

2009-03-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

BeFunky.com is an online service help you create your artwork photo. Very easy, you upload your photo into BeFunky.com and receive your art photo, very nice. Look like below:

Quick guide to use BeFunky.com:

1. Go to BeFunky.com and click Get Start Now

2. Choose one of many effects for your photo.

3. Choose your file, you can upload from your computer, from your webcam (:D), from URL, or from sharing photo social network.

4. You can edit it: Rotate left, Rotate right, or Crop your image. Then click OK

5. Hihi, this is my image after using effect, very nice!!!

6. You can click Gift it to view your gift.

There are 26,452,105 Artworks created so far at BeFunky, and you? Let's enjoy it

How to Enable Auto Logon For Windows XP

2009-03-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Enabling auto logon skips the welcome screen and saves boot time.To Enable Auto Logon in Windows XP:

1. Click Start,then Run
2. Type control userpasswords2 and click OK

3. Clear the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box. Click OK

4. Click Apply,then type the user name and password(if there is one) for the user you want to configure auto logon for. Then Click OK

NEW Windows 7 Theme for Windows XP Download

2009-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found windows 7 theme for windows XP. There are many utilities (windows blind, transform packs and etc) for converting windows XP environment for vista, windows 7 environments.

But using these utilities I faced big reduction of computer performance and in other side they have created many bugs in the Operating system.

Windows blind is a good tool but it is not a freeware we have to pay for it. Even though still I couldn't hear it has a theme with new windows 7 environment.

NEW Windows 7 theme works pretty well with my windows XP operating system. No performance reduction and it work smoothly. It place only one start up object and not affected for computer performance.

Advantages:

Not a heavy pack.

No reduction of computer performance.

Work smoothly.

Good conjunctions with windows XP operating system

Download windows 7 theme here

Installation Guide:

Extract Windows_7_Theme_For_XP.rar to its sub directory.

First install Theme.exe at the "Theme" folder

Then install the 3 Files in order at "Toolbar" folder (1, 2, and 3) and restart the computer

Open Microsoft Word 2007 document with earlier version of Word DOCX to DOC

2009-03-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

As Microsoft office 2007 has lots of improvements and new features most of you probably using it and might you have noticed with the newer version your files save under different suffix “docx”.

In older versions it saves under suffix doc, which is compatible with newer versions to open and edit. Although MS Office 2007 and higher versions files not compatible to open or edit with office older versions.

So a document created by one person using MS office 2007 cannot view or edit by another person unless he has the newest version. This might be a serious trouble.

I found three methods which we can use for slow this problem. You can use these as which party you act.

If you're the docx file creator then it is best for use 2st method and if you the final reader which has older versions of MS OFFICE then use the 2nd way which I discussed below.

Using Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack: Microsoft Office compatible pack makes your older version of Ms Office compatible for open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in new formats. (Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007)

Download Compatible pack

Convert Online:

zamzar.com has Office file converter and it emails you the converted files, but probably it takes some time for email your files. You have to create an account there before go with the converting process.

Use Save As:

Instead of both above methods still you have the chance of saving your files with formats which compatible with older versions. When you save files simply select save as and select word 97-2003 document and save.