When logged on to an administrator account in a Windows Vista or Windows 7 PC and attempt to merge a .REG file, you’ll see the User Account Control (UAC) prompt asking for your consent to allow the process to start. Regedit.exe uses the highestavailable execution level (as specified in its manifest) and thus it prompts for consent to launch with the highest available privilege.
Archive for the ‘Windows Vista’ Category
How to Add “Merge (as User)” Right-Click Menu Option for REG Files
No Preview Available for Certain Files in Zip Folder View in Windows 7 and Vista
Recently when browsing a Compressed (zipped) Folder containing some JPG images, I observed that the preview pane displayed the message "No Preview Available" when selecting an image file. However, preview worked fine if the files were extracted to a folder and then viewed from there.
Fig 1: Compressed (Zipped) Folder View
I extracted the images to a folder, and preview works just fine. (more…)
Fix for Desktop Icons Layout Not Getting Saved Upon Restarting Windows
Windows saves the desktop icon layout when the user logs off, and the setting is read during logon. Recently I came across a case where the desktop icons rearrange to their default positions after a restart or logoff/logon cycle. This turned out to be a Permissions issue with a registry key, which kept Windows from writing to it. Are you experiencing the same problem in your Windows XP/2003/Vista/7 PC? If so, here is a solution that you can give it a go. (more…)
How to Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews Quickly Using Right-Click Menu in Windows Vista and Windows 7
If you had disabled thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer for performance, but want to have a means of enabling or disabling thumbnail previews in a jiffy, here is a solution for you. To enable or disable thumbnail previews in Windows Vista and Windows 7, you normally click on the Organize button in the folder view, choose Folder and Search Options, select the View tab and then select or deselect the Always show icons, never thumbnails. (more…)
Right-Click Context Menu Turns Ugly Classic After Installing a Program in Windows 7 or Vista
Yet another context menu saga. After installing Notepad++ (a free Notepad alternative, version 5.5.1 as of this writing) in a Windows 7 computer, the context menu turned ugly with a classic look.
After removing "Edit with Notepad++" from the right-click menu, by deleting the following registry branch:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ * \ shellex \ ContextMenuHandlers \ Notepad++
It now renders correctly.
This is only a cosmetic issue, and has been already reported by an user in Notepad++ forums.
Adding Notepad++ as a Static Menu
After deleting the context menu handler from the registry, I added Notepad++ as a static menu in this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ * \ shell \ Notepad++
And added an icon to the context menu entry, as well.
Registry Fix
To automate the above, download npp-menu.zip. Unzip and run the attached REG file.
Additional Information
Earlier, it was noted that that a Norton Antivirus definition update caused this problem. You can read more about that in AskVG’s article Fix Old Classic Context Menu Problem, and to obtain the Hotfix from Symantec, visit Context menu options do not appear properly after you install updates for Norton 2009.
What if you experience this problem, but don’t have any of these applications?
If the problem occurred after installing or updating a particular product, notify the product support team so that they may fix the problem in next update. Until they fix the problem, you can remove or disable the corresponding context menu handler shell extension for the product, that is, only if you can’t really stand the ugly / classic look in context menu. Nirsoft’s ShellExView does this job neatly. If you need a detailed guide, check out Method 2 in article Right-click weirdness caused by context menu handlers.
“This Computer’s Video Card Can’t Play Themes” Message in WLPG Screensaver Settings Dialog
When you open the Windows Live Photo Gallery Screensaver settings dialog, theme controls may be missing and the message "This computer’s video card can’t play themes" is displayed. You might be knowing that the themes in Windows Photo Gallery slideshow as well as in Windows Live Photo Gallery screensaver won’t be enabled if the Graphics card score (Windows Experience Index) is less than 3.0. (more…)
How to Restore .BKF Files Using NTBackup in Windows 7 and Windows Vista
There are so many users who back up their data using the NTBackup Tool in Windows XP, then clean install/upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows Vista and later realize that Windows 7/Vista do not include the NTBackup Tool to restore the image. Also, Microsoft haven’t released the NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7 yet (should be out soon), as they released for Windows Vista. If you have critical data contained in a NTBackup image (.BKF) and want to restore it in Windows 7, then this article is for you. (more…)
Fix for Event Log Service Startup Error 1079
When you start the Event Viewer, the following error message may be shown.
Event Log service is unavailable. Verify that the service is running.
Any attempts to start the Event Log service results in the following error:
Windows could not start the Windows Event Log service on Local Computer.
Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different from the account specified for other services running in the same process.
Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different from the account specified for other services running in the same process.
As the Windows Event Log service isn’t running, starting Task Scheduler results in the following error:
Windows could not start the Task Scheduler service on Local Computer.
Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.
Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.
This problem was reported by one of our readers via email, and it has been fixed. Service startup error 1079 occurs if the logon account for the service is incorrectly set. Usually this is resolved by fixing the service logon account (via the Log On tab in the Property sheet) via the Services MMC (services.msc)
This can’t be done in case of Windows Event Log, where the Log On tab controls remain grayed out by default.
So, we need to alter the ObjectName registry value in the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\eventlog
Start the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) and navigate to the above branch:
Double-click ObjectName value and set its data as NT AUTHORITY\LocalService {for Windows Vista & Windows 7}
Double-click ObjectName value and set its data as LocalSystem {for Windows XP}
Restart Windows.
Registry Fix
To automate the above setting, download eventlog-svc-fix.zip and run the REG file which is applicable for your Operating System. The zip file includes the REG fixes for Windows XP and Windows 7/Vista. Restart Windows after applying the fix.
Using the Mouse to Copy Command Prompt Text to Clipboard
A useful tip for mousers. Earlier we saw how to copy Command Prompt output to the Windows Clipboard. Did you know that you can accomplish the same using your pointing device (mouse)? Also, you can select a particular section (word or line) and copy it to the Clipboard. Here is how to do so.
1. Create a Command Prompt shortcut (cmd.exe) on the Desktop.
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt shortcut and choose Properties
3. In the Options tab, enable QuickEdit mode, and click OK.
4. Open a Command Prompt window (using the custom shortcut) and type a command.
5. To copy the output, select the text area using the mouse pointer and click the right-mouse button (or press ENTER.)
This tip applies to Windows Vista & Windows 7 as well.
Editor’s note: The above setting works only if you access the Command Prompt using the desktop shortcut that you created earlier. In one of the upcoming articles, we’ll instruct how to make the Quick Edit setting enabled by default, so that it works irrespective of the method you use to access the Command Prompt.
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.
