Archive for August, 2009

Fix Recycle Bin Icon Does Not Refresh Correctly When Using Custom Icons in Windows 7

When you use a custom .ico file to customize the Recycle Bin icons (Empty and Full bin) manually or via a desktop theme, the Recycle Bin icon may not update or refresh correctly when emptying the Recycle Bin or when you add items to it. There was a similar problem reported in Windows Vista where the Recycle Bin did not refresh or update correctly even when using the Windows default icons, and we covered that in article Fix Recycle Bin Icon Does Not Refresh Automatically in Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

Whereas this article talks about a different problem where the Recycle Bin icon does not refresh, only when using custom icon (.ico) files to customize the Recycle Bin (Full) and Recycle Bin (Empty) icons. This is a bug in Windows 7, and a workaround is mentioned below.

Click Start, type Regedit.exe and press {ENTER}

Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ CLSID \ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ DefaultIcon

In the right-pane, append a Comma followed by 0 (that is, ",0") after the icon file path.

For example, if your custom icon path is:

"d:\icons\custom\empty.ico"

Change that to…

"d:\icons\custom\empty.ico,0"

Repeat the same for the icon file path for the "full" Recycle Bin icon.

Additional Information

To customize the Recycle Bin icon in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, right-click on the Desktop and click Personalize.

Click Change desktop icons on the left pane.

Select the Recycle Bin (full) icon, click "Change Icon" and point to a custom icon file.

Select the Recycle Bin (empty) icon, click "Change Icon" and point to a custom icon file.

To restore the default icons, select the item and use the Restore Default button.

Published on 29th August 2009
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista | No Comments »

How to Disable Explorer Search Box Suggestions in Windows 7

Earlier we saw how to clear the search MRU entries in Windows 7. Are you one of those who find the Search Box suggestion pop-ups annoying, and don’t require this feature? Here is a registry edit which disables the search box suggestions in Windows Explorer.

1. Click Start, type Regedit.exe and press ENTER

2. Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Explorer

Note: The above key may not exist by default, and you may need to create the above branch manually.

3. Create a DWORD value named DisableSearchBoxSuggestions

4. Double-click DisableSearchBoxSuggestions and set its data as 1

5. Exit the Registry Editor.

This setting disables suggesting recent queries for the Search Box and prevents entries into the Search Box from being stored in the registry for future references.

Registry Fix

To automate the above download w7-disable-search-suggest.zip, unzip and run the enclosed REG file. To reverse the changes run the file undo.reg

Using the Group Policy Editor

This is only for Windows 7 editions that include the Group Policy Editor.

1. Launch the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)

2. Navigate to the following branch:

User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Windows Explorer

3. Set Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box to Enabled

4. Exit the Group Policy Editor.

Note: If you enable this policy, Windows Explorer will not show suggestion pop-ups as users type into the Search Box, and it will not store Search Box entries into the registry for future references. If the user types a property, values that match this property will be shown but no data will be saved in the registry or re-shown on subsequent uses of the search box.

Published on 22nd August 2009
Tags: , ,
Posted in Windows 7 | 3 Comments »

Vize GUI Enhancer for Windows Vista Replaces Non-Vista Icons

Many dialog boxes in Windows Vista include outdated (non-Vista) icons. This clearly is one of the UI aspects that Microsoft has overlooked. This is non-fatal and purely a cosmetic thing, but if you’re a perfectionist and want to replace Windows Vista icons in place of the outdated icons, then take a look at the freeware product named Vize.

Vize is a GUI enhancer for Windows Vista. It replaces most of the non-Vista icons, animations and bitmaps that Microsoft is still overlooking. Vize automates the process of replacing resources in system files, applying the real fit and finish to Windows Vista. If you are not satisfied with the results, you can completely and safely uninstall Vize.

Vize is compatible with any version, any language, and any architecture (both 32-bit x86 and x64) of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. [Vize Download URL]

Here are some dialog boxes for you to compare (before and after installing Vize).

And here are the new icons for .reg & .vbs file types.

For a similar utility for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, check out XPize. For Windows 7, Sevenize will be coming soon.

Published on 21st August 2009
Tags: ,
Posted in Windows Vista | 2 Comments »

Windows System Control Center – Launch Pad and Updater for Sysinternals Suite

Both Windows Sysinternals and Nirsoft offer amazing set of tools to tune up and troubleshoot PCs. The combined total of such tiny tools from both the above sites certainly exceeds hundred. Some of the tools in the suite don’t have an automatic update facility, which makes managing them slightly difficult. To alleviate this problem and allow easy organizing and automatic updating of these tools, we have the Windows System Control Center tool from KLS Soft.

WSCC is a free, portable program that allows you to install, update, execute and organize the utilities from various system utility suites. WSCC is only an interface, you need to download and install the utilities separately. Alternatively, WSCC can use the http protocol to download and run the programs. The included Update Manager can check for newer versions of the utilities already installed and can download and install the missing items.

The current version of WSCC supports the following utility suites:

Many people (especially IT/Helpdesk techs) who use Sysinternals & Nirsoft utilities very frequently, would find Windows System Control Center very useful. This utility is completely portable, which means no installation is required. This utility runs in Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / 7.

WSCC – Screenshots

[Download Windows System Control Center from KLS Soft.]

Published on 16th August 2009
Tags:
Posted in General | 1 Comment »

How to Restore Missing Search Box in Windows 7 Start Menu?

If you find that the Search box is missing from your Windows 7 Start menu, it means that the search component is disabled by an administrator in your system, or may be disabled by default in your Windows 7 installation. Here is how to enable the Start menu Search feature in Windows 7.

Click Start, type OptionalFeatures.exe and press {ENTER}

Enable Windows Search checkbox, click OK.

Restart Windows.

Additional Information

(From What happens if I turn off Windows Search?)

  1. All the search boxes in Windows will disappear, including the search boxes in Windows Explorer, the Start menu, Control Panel, the Documents library, and other libraries.
  2. Programs that rely on Windows Search might not function properly.
  3. Internet Explorer won’t have enhanced search capabilities.
  4. Tablet PC handwriting recognition won’t work.
  5. Windows Media Center won’t have enhanced search capability.
  6. You’ll no longer be able to arrange your library views by metadata, and your column headers will only sort items, not stack or group them.
  7. Options that affect Windows Search functionality will be removed, including indexing in Control Panel and the Search tab in Folder Options.
  8. Windows will no longer recognize these search-based file types: search-ms, searchconnector-ms, and osdx.

Published on 15th August 2009
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »

How to Remove “Always Use the Selected Program” Option From Open With Dialog

The Open With dialog in Windows allows you to open a file using different programs. Also, you can create or change the file type association by selecting the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox in the Open With dialog. Sometimes, users wrongly associate file types and end up having to fix the associations manually. To prevent this, you can remove the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" checkbox so that file type association using Open With dialog is not possible.

1. Launch Regedit.exe and navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer

Note: If the above branch does not exist, you need to create it manually.

2. Create a new DWORD value named NoFileAssociate

3. Double-click NoFileAssociate and set its data to 1

4. Exit the Registry Editor.

The above registry change effects the current user account only. To implement the change for all users (machine-wide), create the NoFileAssociate value in the following branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer

Additional Information

The above edit when used in Windows 2000/XP, results in a grayed out "Always use the selected program…" checkbox. Whereas in Windows Vista & Windows 7, the checkbox is removed completely.

Published on 13th August 2009
Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | 4 Comments »

Fix Broken Help and Support After Installing Bluetooth Driver in Windows 7

When you open Windows Help and Support in Windows 7, and use the search feature to find topics, zero results appear in search results showing the text "__elbasuer__". This could happen after installing the Bluetooth driver, or if the driver came as part of the standard installation with your PC.

I had this issue in my Dell Vostro 1520, and a solution was posted at the Dell Community forums. The fix was to remove a registry value "BRCM_Bluetooth_Help" which is added by Broadcom/WIDCOMM Bluetooth driver. This fix should apply to non-Dell systems as well. (more…)

Published on 9th August 2009
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »

Cannot Install Desktop Gadgets as .Gadget Files Are Shown as Unknown in Windows 7

When you try to install a Desktop Gadget in Windows 7, the "Windows can’t open this file" dialog box may be shown asking you to find the program to open .gadget file types.

  

This happens if the Windows Gadget Platform feature which is turned on by default, is disabled in your PC. Use these steps to enable the feature back:

1. Click Start, type windows features

2. Select Turn Windows features on or off from the search results.

   

3. Enable Windows Gadget Platform, and click OK.

   

You should now be able to install and run Desktop Gadgets.

  

Published on 7th August 2009
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »

Windows 7 Is Now Available for MSDN and TechNet Subscribers

The wait is over! As promised, Microsoft has made available the Windows 7 RTM for MSDN and TechNet subscribers on Aug 6 2009. MSDN/TechNet subscribers can download Windows 7 RTM from the subscriber downloads pages (MSDN / TechNet).

File Name: en_windows_7_ultimate_x86_dvd_X15-65921.iso
Date Posted (UTC): 8/6/2009 4:57:23 PM
SHA1: 5395DC4B38F7BDB1E005FF414DEEDFDB16DBF610
ISO/CRC: C1C20F76

File Name: en_windows_7_ultimate_x64_dvd_X15-65922.iso
Date Posted (UTC): 8/6/2009 4:57:23 PM
SHA1: 326327CC2FF9F05379F5058C41BE6BC5E004BAA7
ISO/CRC: 1F1257CA

Windows 7 will be in retail stores and shipping on new PCs starting October 22nd. For more information, see post When will you get Windows 7 RTM? at the Windows 7 Team Blog.

Published on 7th August 2009
Tags:
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »

Fix a Problem Where Folders Open in New Window Every Time in Windows 7

When you open Windows Explorer and double-click a folder, it may open a new explorer window rather than showing the folder contents in the existing window. This may happen although "Open each folder in the same window" setting is selected in Control Panel – Folder Options.

This could happen after installing certain versions of VaultClient software, and issue can be resolved by registering a DLL file. Use these steps:

Open an elevated Command Prompt window. To open an elevated Command Prompt, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. Type the following command and hit ENTER:

Windows 7 32-bit

regsvr32.exe "%Programfiles%\Internet Explorer\ieproxy.dll"

Windows 7 64-bit (Registering the 32-bit module)

regsvr32.exe "%Programfiles(x86)%\Internet Explorer\ieproxy.dll"

You should see a similar message as below, in the output window:

DllRegisterServer in ieproxy.dll succeeded.

Published on 6th August 2009
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »