A question from one of our readers: “After I first installed and then uninstalled Windows XP Service Pack 3, I noticed I had an extra Add or Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel. Both the icons are functional, but one of them shows a generic icon. How do I remove the duplicate icon?” (more…)
Archive for May, 2008
How to Remove Duplicate Icons From the Control Panel
Create Shortcuts to Eject and Close CD/DVD Drive
Windows already includes the Eject command in the context menu for optical drives. If you want to add the Close Tray option in the context menu for optical drives, then this article is for you. (more…)
Display a Warning When Users Try to Modify .Lnk Association in Vista
I’m not sure why people associate .lnk files with different programs using the Default Programs applet in Windows Vista. Doing so would break the functionality of Shortcuts, and you need to perform a System Restore rollback or apply the .lnk file association fix to straighten things up. And why in the first place does the Default Programs list .lnk file type? .lnk, .exe, .com …etc. are system file types should not be associated with any application. Windows knows how to handle those file types. (more…)
Prevent Internet Explorer Toolbar Layout From Being Reset
Every once in a while, Internet Explorer resets the toolbar layout and I need to customize them that way I want, every time this happens. I have Google Toolbar and the default Links toolbar enabled, which I have docked to the extreme right, showing only the chevron. Occasionally Internet Explorer (or probably one of the browser add-ons) resets the toolbar positions, pushing the Links toolbar to a separate line and thus occupying additional screen real estate. This happens even though the toolbars are in locked state. (more…)
Do Not Move Special Folders in Windows to the Root!
When moving a special folder: Music, Pictures, Downloads, Documents…etc. to a different drive using the Location tab in the Property sheet, make sure you mention the complete target path where you want to relocate the folder to. For example, to move the Pictures folder of your user profile to D:\Pictures, type D:\Pictures, instead of just D:\. This is because Windows does not automatically append the word Pictures. In case you don’t mention the complete path, the shell folder will be moved to the root drive. (more…)
Error “This File Does Not Have a Program Associated With It for Performing This Action” Opening Email Attachments
Are you getting the following error when opening attachments from Windows Mail in Windows Vista, or Outlook Express in Windows XP?
This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel.
(This is not a "fix-it" article, but it gives some useful information on how to deal with problems opening email attachments. Because the issue is related to file type associations, there is not a "single-fix" which resolves the problem for all file types. I’m writing this article as this is one of the Top FAQs in Windows.) (more…)
FIX: Cannot Select Multiple Files in Explorer in Windows Vista
Sometimes in Windows Explorer, users may not be able to select more than one file or folder. Using the Select All option, SHIFT + Click or CTRL + Click key combos to select multiple files or folders, may not work. Here is how to fix the single select problem in Windows Vista Explorer. (more…)
Double Clicking an Image Opens Windows Photo Gallery Without Previewing the Image
When you double-click an image file, Windows Photo Gallery launches but the image Preview may not displayed. Instead, the main window of Window Photo Gallery may be shown, as if no file name parameter was passed. (more…)
Apply Your Desktop Settings and Theme to the Classic Logon Screen in XP
Desktop customizations are per-user, and most of the settings are stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Desktop area in the registry. This article explains how to apply the wallpaper and theme settings from your user profile to the Classic logon screen in Windows XP. (more…)
Add Word 97-2003 to the New Menu After Installing Office 2007
Microsoft Word 2007 adds .docx type to the New menu, which creates an empty .docx file when clicked. There are times when you need to create a document in Word 97 – 2003 format. Let’s assume you need to create a Word document and send it to someone who doesn’t have Word 2007 installed. To add more convenience, the Word 97 – 2003 document entry can be added to the New menu in Windows. (more…)
