Archive for the 'Windows Vista' Category
System Restore is a useful backup utility but it has a tendency to use large amounts of disk space. Therefore some users may want to disable this feature.
How To Disable System Restore on Windows Vista
- Click Start > Control Panel
- Click System and Maintenance > System
- On the left side pane click Advanced system settings
- On the System Properties box click the System Protection tab
- Deselect the drives from the list
This will disable System Restore on Microsoft Windows Vista. Freeing valuable disk space in the process.
There’s a big chance that you’re not using IPv6 and probably have no need for QoS on your network.
How To Disable IPv6 and QoS on Microsoft Windows Vista
- Click Start > Control Panel
- Click Network and Internet > Networking and Sharing Center
- On the left side pane click Manage network connections
- Right click on your NIC and then select Properties
- De-select IPv6 and QoS and then click Ok
Restart your computer for the new settings to take effect.
The Windows Vista Disk Cleanup utility can usually be accessed by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup and then selecting the appropriate drive. There is however a way to access a more extensive set of disk cleanup options.
Extensive Disk Cleanup
- Click Start (Windows Orb)
- In the Instant Search Box type “cmd.exe” and then press the Enter key
- Type cleanmgr /sageset:1 and then press the Enter key
The Disk Cleanup dialog box will now appear with a wider range of options. Select the files that you want removed and then click Ok.
Following on from the Extending the Windows Vista Evaluation to 120 days tutorial, I will now show you how to legally extend the evaluation period for up to one year.
Extending the Windows Vista Evaluation Period
- Click Start (Windows Orb)
- In the Instant Search box type “regedit” and then press the Enter Key
- Navigate to the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ SL
- Right Click the registry key SkipRearm and then click Edit
- The default is a Dword with the hex value of 00000000. Change the value to any positive integer, such as 00000001. Save the change and close the Registry Editor.
Now start a command prompt with Administrative rights.
- Click Start (Windows Orb)
- In the Instant Search box type “cmd” and then press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter Keys.
Type one of the following commands and then press the Enter Key.
- slmgr -rearm
- rundll32 slc.dll,SLReArmWindows
Reboot the computer. Once you’ve logged back in, open a command prompt and run the following command slmgr -xpr. This will show the Windows Vista’s new expiration date and time.
Repeat the above steps to extend the Windows Vista Evaluation Period.
I bet you didn’t know that Microsoft Windows Vista includes a two-way firewall.
Unfortunately, the outbound filtering has been disabled. I’m not quite sure why Microsoft made this decision but from a security point of view it would have made perfect sense to have it enabled by default. I suspect it’s due to Microsoft not wanting to frustrate customers when their internet dependent applications suddenly stopped working.
Windows Vista Firewall: How To Turn On Outbound Filtering
- Click the Start Button (Windows Orb)
- In the search bar type “wf.msc” and press the Enter key
- Click the Windows Firewall Properties link
- Change Outbound connections from Allow (default) to Block
From the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security properties you can also configure additional rules for incoming as well as outbound connections.
At the bottom right hand corner of the Windows Vista desktop you will see the Network and Sharing Center icon.
The Network and Sharing Center allows you to take control of your computers’ network connectivity. It’s an area where you can check the connection status and visually view your network. It can also be used for network troubleshooting.
How To Animate the Network Icon in Windows Vista
Right click the Network and Sharing Center icon and select Turn on activity animation. This feature is particularly useful when troubleshooting data transfer problems.
In older versions of Windows you would usually have to buy third party software to be able to partition your hard disk from within Windows. In Microsoft Windows Vista you can now resize partitions from the new Disk Management console.
How To Resize Partitions in Windows Vista
- Click the Start Button (Windows Orb)
- Right click on Computer and then select Manage
- If prompted by User Account Control, click Continue
- In the Computer Management console tree, expand Storage and then click Disk Management
- Right click on the partition that you wish to resize and select either Expand or Shrink to change the size of the partition
Microsoft has said that partitions can be resized without the fear of data loss. However, to be safe rather than sorry always backup your data first.
Have you ever accidentally deleted, saved or modified a file which you were working on but failed to back it up?
Microsoft Windows Vista includes a useful technology called Shadow Copy, which allows you to restore your document to a previous state. Shadow Copy creates a snapshot of your files as you work on them, this will allow you to retrieve your work if it’s been accidentally deleted.
In Windows Vista, Shadow Copy is automatically enabled by default and creates copies of your files on a scheduled basis. Only incremental changes are saved, so minimal disk space is used.
To access Windows Vista Shadow Copy:
- Right click a file or folder and select “Restore previous versions”
- Select the file that you wish to restore
- Click Restore…
The file will be restored its original location.
Note* Restore will restore the old file. The newer version will be deleted.
Microsoft Windows Vista comes with a built in security feature called the UAC (User Account Control).
In this tutorial I will show how to disable the User Account Control. I strongly recommend that you leave it enabled, as the UAC was designed to protect Windows Vista from malicious software and reduces the risk of a potential security threat.
To disable UAC:
Click Start (Windows Orb)
Click Control Panel
In Control Panel, click User Accounts And Family Safety
Click User Accounts
Click Turn User Account Control on or off
Clear the Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer check box and then click Ok
Windows will Prompt you to restart your computer
Restart for the new settings to take effect
In yesterday’s tutorial I explained how to open a program using the run command. Today’s tutorial shows you how to add the run command to the start menu.
To add the run command to the start menu:
Right click the start button and then click properties
From the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click Customize.
Scroll through the list of options until you find find the run command check box, select it and then click Ok
