Earlier we wrote about the Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) tool in Windows 7. It’s a nice tool that records the steps to reproduce a problem in the computer, and stores the data in a MHTML document. Here is another tool from Microsoft Technet which helps you record the steps you perform in your computer and store it in a video (.WMV) file. It’s the ScreenRecorder utility, which is similar to Microsoft Camcorder (utility written for Windows 95/98 which saves the output to an .AVI file). ScreenRecorder works in Windows XP (.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher), Windows Vista and Windows 7. Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier we saw how to disable the confirmation window when emptying the Recycle Bin in Windows XP and Windows Vista. Here is a Registry hack to accomplish the same in Windows 7, using the excellent NirCmd tool. This registry hack replaces the Empty Recycle Bin command with NirCmd command-line so that the Recycle Bin can be emptied silently without any prompts. This also works from the Recycle Bin Tasks pane. Read the rest of this entry »
When working with Windows 7 RC this week, I stumbled upon another nice and useful feature which I thought I should write about. Windows 7 allows you to add icons to your custom right-click (static) menu entries. Usually, to display a right-click command with an icon, one needs to write a context menu handler Shell Extension (DLL). Now, you can assign icons for static menu items as well, without having to program anything. Read the rest of this entry »
When you open a dialog box (e.g. "View" tab under Folder Options, "Advanced" tab under Internet Options etc.) containing checkbox or radio button controls in Windows XP, the text labels may be appended with the word "ON" or "OFF" depending upon whether the option is enabled or not. Read the rest of this entry »
After installing Windows Vista Service Pack 2, you can use the Windows Component Clean Tool (COMPCLN.exe) to remove the archived files. This tool also removes the files that were archived after Windows Vista SP1 was applied. You can free up more than 1 GB of disk space (if the Vista SP1 Files Removal Tool VSP1CLN.EXE was not already used.) When COMPCLN.EXE was run in a system in which VSP1CLN.EXE was already run, it freed up 440 MB of disk space approximately. Read the rest of this entry »
When you attempt to enable or disable an Office Add-In, the following error message may be displayed and the Add-In state does not change. Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft earlier announced the availability of Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista to MSDN and TechNet Plus Subscribers. Now the public download of Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 is available. Here are the download links for the standalone installer. Note that it has not hit Windows Updates yet. Read the rest of this entry »
InPrivate Filtering is a feature introduced in Internet Explorer 8 which provides users with greater control over which third-parties can potentially track your browsing activities. InPrivate Filtering is turned off by default, and can be activated using the CTRL + SHIFT + F key sequence, or via the menu options. The problem is that the InPrivate Filtering feature is not automatically enabled when you open a new Internet Explorer window, and users need to enable it on a per-session basis. However, there is a registry edit to enable InPrivate Filtering by default in every Internet Explorer session. Read the rest of this entry »
InPrivate Browsing in Internet Explorer 8 helps prevent your browsing history, temporary Internet files, form data, cookies, and usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser, leaving no evidence of your browsing or search history. We covered InPrivate browsing in our previous articles which our readers found useful. Here is an utility which adds Internet Explorer (InPrivate) entry to the Default Programs applet in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Read the rest of this entry »
When you attempt to run the System File Checker (sfc.exe /scannow command) to restore missing or corrupted system files, the following error message may be seen:
Windows File Protection could not be initiate a scan of protected system files.
The specific code is 0×000006ba [The RPC Server is unavailable.]
This happens if the Windows File Protection (WFP) is disabled in the registry. Read the rest of this entry »
