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Showing posts from February, 2009

Correcting Currupted Fonts

Correcting Currupted Fonts If you are having problems with any of your non-true type fonts, follow these steps to correct the problem: 1. Click on the Start button and point to 'Settings' 2. Click on the 'Control Panel' icon 3. Double-click on the 'Fonts' icon 4. Search for the 'Monoytpe Sorts' font 5. Delete this font then reboot your computer.

Copy Files And Folders To A CD In Windows XP

To copy files and folders to a CD: 1. Insert a blank writable CD into the CD recorder. 2. Double-click My Computer, and then click the files or folders that you want to copy to the CD. To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want. 3. Click any of the following options: - Copy this file - Copy this folder - Copy the selected items 4. In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click Copy. 5. In My Computer, double-click the CD recording drive. Windows displays a temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD. Check that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD are displayed under Files Ready to Be Written to the CD. 6. Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write to CD. 7. After the CD Writing Wizard starts, follow the instructions in the wizard. 8. When the process is finished, the wizard displays a check box for you to choose to create another CD like the one you just m...

Create A Compressed Folder In Windows XP

To create a compressed folder, use either of the following methods. Open My Computer: 1. Double-click My Computer, and then open the folder where you want to make the compressed folder. For example, if you want to make a compressed folder in the root folder of drive C, double-click My Computer, and then double-click drive C to open the root folder. 2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Compressed (zipped) Folder. 3. Type a name for the new compressed folder, and then press ENTER. Your new compressed folder appears as a folder icon with a zipper. Right-click a blank area on the desktop or in a folder: 1. Right-click a blank area in an open folder or on the desktop, point to New, and then click Compressed (zipped) Folder. 2. Type a name for the new compressed folder, and then press ENTER. Your new compressed folder appears as a folder icon with a zipper.

Creating A Keyboard Shortcut In Windows XP!

Creating A Keyboard Shortcut In Windows XP! 1. Right-click the desktop shortcut, and then click Properties. 2. On the Shortcut tab, click in the Shortcut Key box. 3. Press the keyboard combination that you want to use to start the program. The shortcut combination must consist of one character (a letter, number, or symbol) plus at least two of the following three keys: CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT. 4. Click OK. - The default combination is CTRL+ALT; if you press only a character key, Windows XP automatically adds CTRL+ALT. To use other combinations of the three required keys, press those keys before you press the character key. - A keyboard shortcut does not work if it conflicts with a keyboard combination that is used in the program that is currently active. Note: This feature works only with program shortcuts on the desktop or the Start menu. This feature does not work if the desktop shortcut is a shortcut to another shortcut.

Control Remote Desktops Through A Web Browser

Remote Desktop is a new feature in Windows XP that allows you to control a remote computer and see the screen as if you were sitting behind that computer. Usually, you would use a special client application to connect to the remote computer. By default, Windows XP setup installs such an application: Remote Desktop Connection. You can also access the remote computer without another application, using instead your Web browser. However, before you can do this, you must first install certain components on the remote computer. To do this: 1. Open Control Panel. 2. Open the Add/Remove Programs dialog box. 3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. 4. Select Internet Information Services in the Windows Components Wizard and then click Details. 5. Select World Wide Web Service and click Details. 6. Make sure Remote Desktop Web Connection and World Wide Web Service are checked. 7. Click OK. 8. Click OK. 9. Click Next and follow the wizard to complete the installation. After the setup...

Create A Drive Menu For My Computer In Windows XP

By default, the My Computer item on the Start menu is configured to work like a standard folder window. If you need to access a specific drive, select My Computer from the Start menu, wait a moment for the window to appear, and then double-click the icon for the drive that you need to access. When you're in a hurry, this two-step procedure can be time-consuming and frustrating--especially if My Computer contains a large number of drive icons. However, Windows XP makes it easy for you to configure My Computer so it works like a menu, with each drive listed as a menu item. Follow these steps: 1 Right-click the Start button, and select Properties. 2 Click Customize, which is adjacent to the Start Menu radio button, and select Advanced. 3 Scroll through the Start Menu Items list box until you see My Computer. 4 Select Display As A Menu, and click OK twice. Now, when you select My Computer from the Start menu, you'll see a menu of individual drives. To access the contents...

Control RegEdit's Key Memory

The feature that permits the Registry to remember the last-used key was added to Windows XP, along with the ability to save often-used keys as Favorites. The only way to disable this feature is to block the Registry from saving the last-used key information. To do this, open the Registry and look for this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit Right-click on the 'LastKey' value in the right pane and select 'Modify'. Erase everything in the 'Value Data' box and leave it blank then click OK. Now, with the 'RegEdit' key in the left pane highlighted, go to 'Edit->Permissions' at the top of the Registry window. Select a User Name then select the 'Deny' checkbox next to 'Full Control' and click OK. The Registry will now no longer save the last used key, but remember that you will no longer be able to use the Favorites menu. If you prefer not to disable this feature, a fast way to colaps...

Run Commands to access the control panel

Run Commands to access the control panel ------------------------------------------------------------------- appwiz.cpl - Add/Remove Programs control admintools - Adminastrative Tools control color - The Display with the appearance tab open control date/time - Date and Time properties control folders - Folder Options control fonts - Fonts Folder control infrared - Infrared folder if available control netconnections - Network and Dial-up Connections window control netware - Netware window if installed and available control panel - Control Panle control printers - Printers Folder control printers control schedtasks - Schedule tasks window ccontrol telephony - Location information window control userpasswords - User Accounts desk.cpl - Display Properties findfast.cpl - FindFast control firewall.cpl - Windows Firewall Hdwwiz.cpl - Add Hardware Wizard inetcpl.cpl - Internet Properties intl.cpl - Regional and Language Options joy.cpl - Game Controls jpicpl32.cpl - Ja...

Creating Quick Shutdown Shortcuts in Windows

If you are running Windows XP, which I imagine most of you are, it is very easy to make shortcuts on your desktop. "Quick Shutdown" and "Quick Reboot" icons are very convenient tools for your Windows system. In this case, "Quick" means "do it now; do not ask if I want to shut down, reboot or go to logoff." Let's create a the Quick Shutdown icon, first. For Windows XP, the first thing you need to do is get to a blank space on your Windows XP Desktop. Then right-click to get the popup context menu. Select "New" from the menu, and "Shortcut" from the new resulting menu. This will create a shortcut on your desktop, labelled "New Shortcut" Do not worry about the label. We'll fix that as part of the setup. You will also get a message box whose title line reads "Create Shortcut." The text box, inside that message box, is labelled "Type in the location of the item:". There is also a "Br...

Clear The Last Logon

If you're part of a network running Windows, you're prompted to log on to get access. You always know who was there before you, because Windows remembers the last username entered and displays it when you log on. There are a million reasons why you might not want this info displayed. Whatever those reasons may be, we'll show you how to erase that info so the username is blank when the next person logs on. 1. Click on the Start button and select Run 2. Type in 'regedit' and press OK 3. Look for the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system 4. In the right pane double-click on 'dontdisplaylastusername' 5. Change the value from 0 to 1 and press OK 6. Exit the Registry Now when you log off the network or restart the computer, the last username will no longer carry over. They'll never know who used the computer last.

Clean The Hard Drive Before Dumping Your PC

If you're getting rid of your old computer, or even if you aren't just yet, there are some things you should know about it. Chances are great there's sensitive data on it. If you're like me, that PC's hard drive contains a compilation of your personal and business life. If the wrong people were to grab it, they could hurt you and your business very seriously. Here's the problem: An index of files is maintained for the hard drive, telling it where things are stored. When you install a file, especially a big one, it is scattered around the hard drive in bits and pieces. On your command to open the file, the hard drive checks the index, then gathers the pieces and reconstructs them. computer - or you do know and you don't trust them - stronger measures are required. When that file is deleted, the links between the index and the file disappear. That tells your system that the file is no longer needed and that hard drive space can be overwritten. But the d...

Common Control Panel Applets In Windows XP!

The follow are some common Control Panel Applets that are located in the windowssystem32 directory. If you find yourself using any of these frequently, then you can simply make shortcuts to them on your desktop. appwiz.cpl Add/Remove Programs desk.cpl Display Properties firewall.cpl Firewall Settings inetcpl.cpl Internet Options mmsys.cpl Sound and Audio ncpa.cpl Network Connections nusrmgr.cpl User Accounts powercfg.cpl Power Options sysdm.cpl System Properties wscui.cpl Security Center wuaucpl.cpl Automatic Updates Configuration You can access any of these by Clicking on Start>Run and typing in the applet title such as desk.cpl

Clear The Contents Of The My Recent Documents Folder In Windows XP!

Clear The Contents Of The My Recent Documents Folder In Windows XP! To clear the My Recent Documents list, follow these steps: 1. Right-click Start, and then click Properties. Or, if the Start menu is already displayed, right-click an empty area of the Start menu, and then click Properties. 2. Click Customize. 3. Click the Advanced tab. 4. Under Recent documents, click Clear List, click OK, and then click OK. Your most recently used documents are removed from the My Recent Documents folder. Note that this action does not delete the documents from your hard disk.

Change The Default Location Of The My Documents Folder In Windows XP

To change the default location of the My Documents folder, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then point to My Documents. 2. Right-click My Documents, and then click Properties. 3. Click the Target tab. 4. In the Target box, do one of the following: - Type the path to the folder location that you want, and then click OK. For example, D:Your Stuff. If the folder does not exist, the Create Message dialog box is displayed. Click Yes to create the folder, and then click OK. -or- - Click Move, click the folder in which to store your documents, and then click OK twice. If you need to create a new folder, click Make New Folder. Type a name for the folder, and then click OK twice. 5. In the Move Documents box, click Yes to move your documents to the new location, or click No to leave your documents in the original location.

Change ColorSizeFont in Windows XP Elements

To change the font, size, or colors of individual Window elements, follow these steps: 1. Right-click an empty area of your desktop, and then click Properties. 2. Click the Appearance tab, and then click Advanced. 3. In the Item list or in the preview window, click the Window element that you want to change. You can select from any of the following items: 3D Objects Active Title Bar Active Window Border Application Background Caption Buttons Desktop Icon Icon Spacing (Horizontal) Icon Spacing (Vertical) Inactive Title Bar Inactive Window Border Menu Message Box Palette Title Selected Items ToolTip Window 4. Do any of following to achieve the look that you want: NOTE: Not all options for all Window elements are available. For example, the Font option appears dimmed and is unavailable for elements in the Item list that do not display text. - Under Item: - In the Size box, specify the size that you want to use for the item. - In the Color box, specify the co...

Bigger Thumbnails In Windows XP

You can increase the size of the thumbnail images in Windows Explorer's thumbnail view by using Microsoft's TweakUI Utility or by changing the Registry settings. To use TweakUI, simply run the program and open the Explorer item in the tree at the right and select Thumbnails. If you do not have TweakUI, simply follow these steps: 1. Click on the Start button and select Run 2. Type in 'regedit and press OK. 3. Look for this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer 4. In the right pane right-click on the 'ThumbnailSize' key and select 'Modify' 5. You can set the Value between 32 and 256, the higher the number you choose, the larger you thumbnail will be 6. Now right-click on the 'ThumbnailQuality' key and select 'Modify' 7. You can set this value between 32 and 100, with a higher number making the thumnbnail a better quality If the ThumbnailSize and ThumbnailQuality keys do not exist, you c...

Creating A Windows XP Password Reset Disk

Windows XP lets you create a reset disk so that, if you should forget your password at the logon screen, you'll be able to use the disk to reset the password. Otherwise, you might never be able to log onto the account again. To make the disk, you use the Forgotten Password Wizard. Here's how (the following assumes your computer is not a member of a domain): 1. Click Start-->Control Panel, and double click User Accounts. 2. Click the account name under which you're logged on. 3. Under Related Tasks in the top box on the left, click Prevent a forgotten password. 4. On the first page of the wizard, click Next. 5. On the next page, choose the drive letter of the disk on which you want to create the reset disk (typically a:). 6. Enter your current password. 7. Click Next. 8. Click Finish. This places an encrypted copy of your password on the disk. Now if you forget the password, you can use your reset disk to start the Password Reset Wizard and create a ne...

Avoid XP Registration

Windows XP tries to register your copy of Windows at Microsoft's web site when installing XP. To avoid registering your copy of XP with Microsoft and force it into thinking you have completed the registration process, follow these steps: 1. Physically disconnect your modem 2. Turn on your computer 3. Start Windows XP Setup and answer 'No' when asked to use 'Windows Dynamic Update' 4. After the installation is complete, avoid setting up your internet connection when asked, instead click on 'Skip' 5. Click on the Start button and select Run. Type in 'regsrv32 -u regwizc.dll' and click OK then click OK again to close the confirmation dialog box which unregisters this dll file 6. Click on the Start button and select Run 7. type in 'regedit' and click OK 8. Look for this string: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion 9. Right-click on the 'RegDone...

Backup/Restore The Registry

Backing up the Registry is very important. If you delete or change certain keys, you could cause your computer to act improperly or it may not start at all. You should back up the Registry often, depending on how you use your computer (you should always do a backup before making any changes to the Registry). To backup or restore the registry, follow the steps below. When backing up the Registry, it is recommended that you save the file to a removable media device such as CD-Rom or Zip drive. If you save the file to your computer, you should write down the location of it as you will need this information if you need to restore the Registry, or save the file to a location that is easy to remember (such as the 'C:\Windows' directory). Backup/Restore The Registry In Windows 95/98/Me You can use the Reigistry Checker to create a backup of the registry at any time.This is a good idea if you're about to edit the Registry and want to ensure that you get yourself back up and r...

Automatically End Unresponsive Tasks In Windows XP

Have you ever been frustrated by system freezes that occur when a particular program stops responding? If so, you can end the wait and get back to working faster simply by having Windows XP end the programs automatically after a certain amount of time has passed. All you need to do is open the Registry Editor by clicking the Start button, choosing Run, and typing Regedit in the Open text box. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop and double-click on the AutoEndTasks value. Change the Value Data to 1, and then click OK. Next, open the WaitToKillAppTimeout value and change the Value Data to the number of milliseconds you want XP to wait before terminating the unresponsive application. Then, click OK. Caution Using the Registry Editor incorrectly can cause data loss or even operating system failure. Be careful when directly editing the registry.

Creating Start-Up Disks

There are times when you can't boot your system from the hard drive, thanks to either a system problem, a lost password, or the simple fact that the OS hasn't been intalled. Windows XP offers a number of options for booting from floppy disks, but you must prepare them before they're needed. If something goes wrong with the boot drive, you may be able to recover the system using a bootable disk. Don't just format a disk with the box 'Create An MS-DOS Startup Disk' checked, you want to boot windows, not MS-DOS. Start by formatting the disk without checking that box. Now copy these three files onto the disk: 'Boot.ini', 'Ntdetect.com', and 'Ntldr' (all these file are located in the 'C:\' directory). If any of these files ever get deleted or corrupted, you can use this floppy disk to boot up your computer. If you ever forget your password, a password reset floppy can save the day. The password reset disk lets you reset your passwo...

Automatic Image Resizing

Internet Explorer 6 has a new feature which automatically resizes the images on a web page. If an image is too big to fit completely in your browser window, IE will automatically resize it to make it fit. When you place your mouse over the image, an icon appears in the bottom right corner. Clicking on it will expand the image to its full size. If you do not want IE to resize your images at all, simply follow these steps: 1. Click on 'Tools' from the Menu bar 2. Select 'Internet Options' 3. Click on the 'Advanced' tab 4. Scroll down to the 'Multimedia' section 5. Uncheck the 'Enable Automatic Image Resizing' checkbox 6. Click 'Apply' then click OK