Opening Windows Task Manager, without Ctrl+Alt+Delete

If you do not have the chance to press Ctrl+Alt+Del and you still need to open Windows Task Manager, try right clicking on the task bar and pressing the choice : "Start Task Manager".

Do not try searching for it, because you won't find it. Been there, done that, doesn't work :-P

Sharing your WiFi Internet through the Ethernet port, Windows 7

1- Connect to the Internet (using WiFi)

2- Press Start button, Control Panel, Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center, Change Adapter Settings from the list on the left side.

3- Right-click your wireless connection and select Properties.

4- On Sharing tab check in the check-box "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection."

5- Check "Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection" check-box as well and press Ok.

6- Plugin the ethernet cable to your computer and the other side to another computer or an ethernet switch / router.

'ipconfig' is not recognized as an internal or external command, Windows 7

Sometimes uninstalling programs (worst case, viruses) could result in PATH in Windows environmental variables to loose track of some of main cores of the Windows system. E.g. if you run ipconfig in the CMD and gets this error: "'ipconfig' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.", then you might want to have a look at the PATH variable and see if  
C:\Windows;C:\Windows\system32
are missing ...

• Right click on computer
• Choose Properties
• Choose Advanced Settings from left bar
• Environmental Variables
• PATH

Adding a folder that is not on the frequent list, to pinned list in Windows Explorer

You can open folders from Windows Explorer shortcut on Windows 7. You have 2 lists when you right click on this folder, Frequent and Pinned. The frequent folders are those which you have visited frequently and the pinned ones are those which you have chosen to have it permanently in that list. It'e quite a useful shortcut, believe me.

One way to add folders to the pinned list is simply to choose them from frequent list and press the pin button in front of the folder name. However not all the folders that we would like to add to this list comes up in the frequent list. What to do? The solution is quite simple. You only need to drag that folder on the Windows Explorer shortcut on your taskbar  and release it. The folder would be added automatically to your pinned list.

How to deactivates restrictions about remote desktop without password

Blank password restrictions for remote access on Windows could be deactivated by using a policy. To locate and change this policy:


- Start - Run (Search for programs) - gpedit.msc - Enter to start the Group Policy Editor.
- Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only.
- Double click on Account:Limit local account use of blank passwords to consol logon only
- Choose Disabled, and OK.

NOTE: By default, this policy is on (enabled).


Source : http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=303846

Having two Excel 2010 files beside each other in Windows 7

Wanna have two Excel files beside each other and you can't get it done !!! Well remember you are using Microsoft products, so don't be surprised that they don't manage normally to let you have two windows beside each other. Well but there is a hard way to do this : 

1. Open the first workbook any way you want. 
2. Start a second instance of excel. either double click on shortcut to excel.exe on your desktop or through windows start button | run, then type: excel and hit enter. Then file|open the second workbook. 
3. Now files are separated and you can have them beside each other ... Siiiiiigggggghhhhhhh :-S

Disable Taskbar Thumbnail Preview in Windows 7; HOWTO

1. Start button -> type on search bar gpedit.msc & Enter
2. Go to User Configuration, Administrative Templates, and Start Menu and Taskbar
3. Fina “Turn off Taskbar Thumbnails” and open it.
4. Select Disable from the opened window
5. Done :-)

HOWTO : change the location of Desktop folder at Windwos 7

If like me you would also like to change the location of your Desktop folder(security reasons or willing to share the same Desktop on all of your computers), keep reading.


The solution is pretty simple :-) Simply go to following path : 
C:/users/name/Desktop
Then right click on the Desktop folder and then choose properties. After it click on "Location tab" and there you can change the location of the Desktop folder.


in XP, it is the same story but a little bit more complicated as you should go to registery(Start->Run->regedit) and change the value of this entry in registry : 


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Desktop

How to get Dell Photo 964 to work on Windows 7 64 bit

The R146813(click on the link to download)driver works on Windows 7 64 bit enterprise(Tested by me). Follow the following steps exactly, or it will not work. This is how I got the AIO 964 printer to work in Windows 7 from start to finish.

1. Open device manager and uninstall the printer making sure to tick the "Delete the driver software for the device" box.
2. Unplug the USB cord for the printer.
3. If you have previously tried installing the dell drivers using the setup.exe make sure to uninstall the printer drivers and supporting application. if not disregard this step.
4. Run the clean up patch (R166225.zip)
5. Reboot
6. Right click on the installer and go to the "Compatibility" tab. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode" and choose "Windows Vista" Finally check the "Run as Administrator" option. Click Apply and OK.

7. Install the R146813 drivers plugging in the printer when prompter by the installer.

Your 964 will be working on your Windows 7 64 bit :-)

Teamviewer, for Linux

Teamviewer can be run under Linux as well. This is not supported by Teamviewer, but there are ways around it. I have been using Teamviewer now for a while to administrate my/my friends computers and the result is just perfect. The program does not need any configuration at all and can be installed and used easily. More than all it is FREE of charge for non commercial use and as it doesn't need any setup or any other configuration, it is much better than the MS RDP(Remote Desktop Protocol, Microsoft).

The program is supported under MS Windows and Mac OSX, but there are ways around it to use it at Linux. The trick is to use a program called Wine which lets one to use applications developed for MS Windows under semi Unix operating systems(Linux). I have tested Teamviewer 5.0 with Wine 1.0.1 and the result is that things work one way. You can connect/administrate/send and receive files from your Linux machine to the target computer but not vice versa. I have tried from Ubuntu 9.10 Linux to MS Windows XP and Win 7.

Teamviewer, a better solution instead of MS remote desktop

TeamViewer is a computer software package for remote control, desktop sharing, and file transfer between computers. The software operates with both Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and iPhone(and Linux with help of Wine), and is able to function while the computers are protected by firewalls and NAT proxy. It is also possible to access a machine running Teamviewer with a web browser.While the main focus of the application is to facilitate desktop support and remote control of computers, collaboration and presentation features are included within the package.

TeamViewer GmbH was founded in 2005 in Uhingen, Germany. According to the company's press releases, TeamViewer has over 60 million users operating in 50 countries worldwide.

-------

*My comment : The real benefit in Teamviewer is that you can use it overall. You don't need any configuration, port forwarding or anything at all. You even do not need a static IP. You just need to install Teamviewer on both sides and you are done. You can make secure sessions sending, receiving files and controlling/fixing the target computer. Read my post about Teamviewer at Linux if you are wondering how to get it to work under Linux.

How to get rid of MS Narrator

If the Narrator is bugging you all the time after you tried to see what the hell it was and you can't get rid of its stupid voice try the follwoing tricks to turn it off :

• Control Panel - Ease of Access - Ease of Access Center - Use the computer without a display. Uncheck the checkbox by Turn on Narrator and click Save.

Differences between different windows 7 versions

Source : IntoWindows

enable content search in windows

Content-searching can allow you to search files by what is contained within the file rather than the file-name. By default, Windows only search file names for locations that are unindexed, which can often bring frustration upon users who have Search Indexing disabled. By enabling content-searching, those who often forget filenames but remember the contents within a file can make their searching much more efficient.

Re-enabling content-searching is very simple. First, you want to access your folder options from the Tools menu. If you don’t have the top navigation bar enabled by default, just press Alt.

Click on the Search tab above to access your Search Functions. Below is a picture of the default search settings. Simply check the second button, “Always search file names and contents” to re-enable content searching. If you’re working with system files, you might also want to check the Include System Directories box below.

source : http://www.vistarewired.com/2007/03/17/how-to-search-files-by-content-data

Installing Windows 7 from USB Drive

This guide works 100% for Vista & Windows 7 unlike most of the guides out there. I have seen many sites/blogs that have “Install Vista from USB guide” but either with incomplete steps or not working guide. I have also seen some guides that don’t’ use proper commands in this guide. After spending many hours I have come up with this 100% working guide.

I just did this method on one of my friends machine and installed the new Windows 7 BETA. The main advantage is that by using USB drive you will be able to install Windows 7/Vista in just 15 minutes. You can also use this bootable USB drive on friend’s computer who doesn’t have a DVD optical drive.

The method is very simple and you can use without any hassles. Needless to say that your motherboard should support USB Boot feature to make use of the bootable USB drive.

Requirements:

*USB Flash Drive (Minimum 4GB)

*Windows 7 or Vista installation files.

Follow the below steps to create bootable Windows 7/Vista USB drive using which you can install Windows 7/Vista easily.

1. Plug-in your USB flash drive to USB port and move all the contents from USB drive to a safe location on your system.

2. Open Command Prompt with admin rights. Use any of the below methods to open Command Prompt with admin rights.

*Type cmd in Start menu search box and hit Ctrl+ Shift+ Enter.

Or

*Go to Start menu > All programs > Accessories, right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

3. You need to know about the USB drive a little bit. Type in the following commands in the command prompt:

First type DISKPART and hit enter to see the below message.

Next type LIST DISK command and note down the Disk number (ex: Disk 1) of your USB flash drive. In the below screenshot my Flash Drive Disk no is Disk 1.

4. Next type all the below commands one by one. Here I assume that your disk drive no is “Disk 1”.If you have Disk 2 as your USB flash drive then use Disk 2.Refer the above step to confirm it.

So below are the commands you need to type and execute one by one:

SELECT DISK 1

CLEAN

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

SELECT PARTITION 1

ACTIVE

FORMAT FS=NTFS

(Format process may take few seconds)

ASSIGN

EXIT

Don’t close the command prompt as we need to execute one more command at the next step. Just minimize it.

5. Next insert your Windows7/Vista DVD into the optical drive and check the drive letter of the DVD drive. In this guide I will assume that your DVD drive letter is “D” and USB drive letter is “H” (open my computer to know about it).

6. Maximize the minimized Command Prompt in the 4th step.Type the following command now:

D:CD BOOT and hit enter.Where “D” is your DVD drive letter.

CD BOOT and hit enter to see the below message.

7. Type another command given below to update the USB drive with BOOTMGR compatible code.

BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:

Where “H” is your USB drive letter. Once you enter the above command you will see the below message. You might face an error – Access Denied for no priviledge in copying the bootsector to device. Solution to this is to just Exit the Command Prompt and Run it again (still need to Run as Administrator).

8. Copy your Windows 7/Vista DVD contents to the USB flash drive.

9. Your USB drive is ready to boot and install Windows 7/Vista. Only thing you need to change the boot priority at the BIOS to USB from the HDD or CD ROM drive. I won’t explain it as it’s just the matter the changing the boot priority or enabling the USB boot option in the BIOS.

Note: If you are not able to boot after following this guide means you haven’t set the BIOS priority to USB. If you got any problem in following this guide feel free to ask questions by leaving comment.

*** Main article taken from Source, but modified.

How to run Remote Desktop from CMD or RUN

To run Remote Desktop from CMD(windows command line) or run in start menu write :

mstsc.exe

or just simply

mstsc

Run Windows on a Mac for free

It's back-to-school season, and that means you may be among the countless students who are setting up shiny new MacBooks, because this is the year you have vowed (again) to focus on studies. But then the doubts start to creep in: What if you can't open some documents? What if you need to run some professor's roll-your-own Windows software? What if some online system requires IE running Windows (a constant source of pain here at CNET)? Tom Merritt is here to help in this video that demonstrates how to install Windows 7 for free on a Mac. Yup, for free. There are some caveats, but you can be up and running in no time. You know, just in case. Watch now

Source : CNET

Enable remote desktop from CMD

Go to CMD and then run this command line at your command promt, Remote Desktop is enabled :

reg.exe add "HKLM\system\currentcontrolset\control\terminal server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Opera: Microsoft's 'minor tweak' of Windows 7 not enough

Computerworld - Opera Software, the Norwegian browser maker that sparked an antitrust investigation into Microsoft business practices in Europe, remains dissatisfied with its rival's move to dump IE8 from Windows 7.

Last week, Microsoft shared a bit of technical information about how it is stripping IE8 from Windows 7 to create the "E" editions for the European Union market.

"The only functional difference is that the Internet Explorer 8 component is not available," said Arik Cohen, a Microsoft program manager in a Q&A on the company's Windows blog. "This is the same component that your users can turn off in the 'Turn Windows features on and off' control panel in the Windows 7 RC build."

All other parts of IE will remain in the E editions, said Cohen, "since they are part of the Windows core."

The "Turn Windows features on and off" feature refers to the kill switch option Microsoft added to Windows 7 in March. Then, Microsoft managers confirmed that the new operating system would offer user settings for disabling, but not deleting, a host of bundled applications, including IE8. "If a feature is deselected, it is not available for use," said Jack Mayo, a program manager on the Windows team. "This means the files (binaries and data) are not loaded by the operating system and not available to users on the computer."

Files are not actually deleted from the PC, however, so users can later reactivate the disabled applications, said Mayo.

Flipping a switch to simply make IE8 unavailable is not enough for Opera, the browser builder that complained to EU regulators in late 2007. Its complaint led the government's antitrust agency to charge Microsoft in January with shielding IE from competition.

"Microsoft's minor technical tweak will not restore browser competition on the desktop," said Hakon Wium Lie, Opera's chief technology officer, in an e-mail today.

Opera has previously expressed dissatisfaction with Microsoft's decision to dump IE8 from Windows 7. In June, when Microsoft announced the E editions, Lie was skeptical, even though it was unclear at the time exactly what part of the browser would be removed. "The rendering engine will remain," Lie argued then. "Who knows what Windows Update would do? You could wake up in the morning and see all of IE8 there again."

Microsoft may have felt forced to leave parts of IE within Windows, since some of the OS's functionality, particularly Windows Update, likely depends on those components.

A month ago, Microsoft acknowledged that its unilateral move might not satisfy critics, including EU officials. "Our decision to only offer IE separately from Windows 7 in Europe cannot, of course, preclude the possibility of alternative approaches emerging through Commission processes," Dave Heiner, Microsoft's deputy counsel, said on June 11.

While the EU has not yet ruled -- Microsoft dropped an oral hearing slated for early June because of scheduling conflicts -- but Lie said that as far as Opera is concerned, turning off IE but leaving bits and pieces in Windows 7 isn't enough. "At Opera, we'd like to give users access to more browsers, not fewer," he said.

Opera wants the EU to order Microsoft to insert a ballot screen into Windows; the screen would offer users several browser choices that would then either be activated -- if all were pre-installed on the machine -- or downloaded and installed.

Regulators also have hinted that the ballot screen is its preferred solution. "A potential remedy ... and which would not require Microsoft to provide Windows to end-users without a browser, would be to allow consumers to choose from different web browsers presented to them through a 'ballot screen' in Windows," the European Commission said in a June 12 statement.

Nor has Microsoft publicly disclosed what, if any, incentives it's held out to European computer makers to continue to install IE8 on new PCs. Last month, Mozilla said that that was critical to figuring out whether Windows 7E would level the playing field. "It's impossible to evaluate what [Microsoft's proposal] means unless and until Microsoft describes -- completely and with specificity -- all the incentives and disincentives applicable to Windows OEMs," said John Lilly, Mozilla's CEO. "Without this, it's impossible to tell if Microsoft is giving something with one hand and taking it away with the other."

Microsoft's Cohen also claimed that the "vast majority" of applications work on Windows 7 E, including programs that use Windows' embedded browser components, including Trident, IE's layout engine.

Microsoft: How to install a browser on Windows 7 E

Microsoft has created a guidance page on the Windows 7 part of their website, detailing how users should go about installing a browser on Windows 7 E – the version of Windows that will ship in the UK, that comes without a browser.

Users will be required to install an internet browser from external media, such as a USB pen drive or CD, as there will be no way of browsing the web without one otherwise.

Due to the EU pushing on with its anti-trust case against Microsoft, users buying Windows 7 E will have to find their own browser to use. Whilst users could of course just download their browser of choice, and save it on a pen drive, Microsoft has made Internet Explorer 8 available for order, on disk. The disk costs £3.44, excluding VAT. For many users, this will not be necessary, but Amazon.de is offering the Internet Explorer 8 disk as an extra anyway, for €3.99. Firefox is also available to order, from the Mozilla Store.

Windows N will be the same as Windows 7 E, but without a media player installed by default. Whilst some oppose the decision made by Microsoft (as a response to the EU anti-trust case), others believe it will offer other browsers a chance, such as Firefox and Opera. However, how well this will go down with those who buy Windows 7 E remains to be seen.

Whether or not browsers can be bundled in by computer manufacturers isn't stated on the site, but as it states that media players can be bundled, then it is assumed so. However, for system builders and everyone else, there will be no "browser selection" upon finishing installation, as some speculated. Instead, users will have to go back to basics, and find something to store it on, or, alternatively, order a browser on a disk.
Source : http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/07/15/how-to-install-a-browser-on-windows-7-e