Posts Tagged ‘XP’

« Older Entries

On Resume, Password Protect vs on Resume, Display Welcome Screen Setting in Windows XP

When you open the Display Settings Control Panel applet and click the Screensaver tab, one of the following options are shown:

  • On resume, display Welcome screen
  • On resume, password protect

The second option is seen in systems which are connected to domain (which disables the Welcome screen.) If you enable this option, you’ll see the "Unlock Computer" classic logon prompt when resuming from screensaver mode. Whereas the former displays the Welcome screen when resuming from screensaver mode.

What if the "On resume, password protect" option is shown in a standalone system where the Welcome screen is enabled? What causes the "On resume, password protect" option to be shown in standalone systems and systems in a Workgroup?

This was asked by many Windows XP users over these years in various forums where I participate, but no entire explanation for this observation has been found anywhere. Hence this article was written.

The "On resume, password protect" is displayed if at least one the following conditions is true:

  1. Fast User Switching is disabled. (REF Enable Fast User Switching in Windows XP)
  2. There is only one user account in the system (not taking the "Guest" account into consideration)
  3. There are more than one user account, but only one is shown in the Welcome Screen and all others hidden.
  4. Terminal Services is not running. This in turn disables Fast User Switching. (To start Terminal Services, launch Services.msc, double-click Terminal Services, set its start type to Manual. Restart Windows.)

Published on 15th November 2009
Tags: ,
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »

Fix Services MMC Extended View Is Blank in Windows XP

The Extended view of Services Management Console (services.msc) displays the service description and also has links to Start or Stop services. In some systems, the Extended view may appear blank, as in figure below:

This has to do with broken JScript.dll registration. To fix this problem, login as Administrator or equivalent, and then run the following command from Start, Run dialog:

regsvr32.exe  jscript.dll

Press {ENTER}

You should see the output message "DllRegisterServer in jscript.dll succeeded."

This fixes the Extended view. Close and re-open Services MMC.

Published on 14th November 2009
Tags: ,
Posted in Windows XP | 1 Comment »

RegASSASSIN Resets ACL Permissions and Deletes Stubborn Registry Keys Easily

When dealing with a Malware infested PC, you may have to prune several registry entries manually in case the cleanup tool you use does not remove all of them. In most cases, you would get an error ("Error Deleting Key") stating that you don’t have permissions to delete the specified branch. So, additional steps are required to reset the registry ACL Permissions first, before deleting the key. RegASSASSIN from MalwareBytes makes it very easy to reset the ACLs and delete the keys. Whew! You don’t have to perform half a dozen steps to reset the permissions for each key.

RegASSASSIN is a portable application which makes difficult to remove registry keys placed on your system by Malware a thing of the past. The program allows you to remove registry keys by resetting the keys permissions and then deleting it. Please use with caution as deleting critical registry keys may cause system errors.

Let’s assume that a Malware has added a Service to the registry and protected the key using ACL Permissions. Deleting the key using the Registry Editor causes the following error.

Caution: It’s prudent to backup the registry completely before modifying it. For more information, read articles Take a complete registry backup using ERUNT & How to backup the Windows Registry?

Deleting a Stubborn Registry Key

1. Copy the Registry key in question. This can be done by right-clicking on the key and choosing Copy Key Name.

2. Download RegASSASSIN from MalwareBytes Website.

3. Run RegASSASIN and paste the registry key that was copied in Step 1.

4. Select the following checkboxes:

  • Reset registry key permissions
  • Delete registry key and all subkeys

5. Click the Delete button. Click Yes when you see the following dialog:

6. Click Yes when you’re prompted for confirmation:

The registry key is deleted!

RegASSASSIN to Just Reset the Registry Key Permissions?

In case a software installation in your PC fails due to lack of permissions to write to a specified registry key, you can simply reset the corresponding registry key (without deleting the key) using RegASSASSIN. To just reset the ACLs and preserve the registry key, uncheck the Delete registry key and all subkeys checkbox in RegASSASIN.

Editor’s Note

  1. This tool does not substitute for anti-malware / anti-virus software. All this tool does is to reset the permissions for the specified registry key and delete it.
  2. This tool needs to be run as administrator (elevated) in Windows Vista & Windows 7. To do so, right-click on the RegASSASSIN executable, and choose Run as Administrator option in the context menu.
  3. Complex Malware removal is to be performed by trained personnel, as they’re capable of doing a surgical cleanup without affecting other components of the Operating System. The above article is for informational purposes only.

Published on 12th October 2009
Tags: , , ,
Posted in General | No Comments »

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.

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.

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.

Published on 7th October 2009
Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »

How to Enable Quick Edit Mode in the Command Prompt by Default

We saw how to use the mouse to copy Command Prompt text to the Windows Clipboard, by enabling the Quick Edit option in Command Prompt shortcut properties. What if you don’t use a desktop shortcut to open Command Prompt, and rather run cmd.exe directly? Here is a registry edit which enables Quick Edit option by default for Command Prompt. This works regardless of the methods you use to open the Command Prompt window.

This article was edited on Sep 24 2009 to include the method suggested by reader Mike (Thanks, Mike. I’ve clearly overlooked the GUI option.)

Enable Quick Edit by default in Command Prompt

Using the GUI

1. Open a Command Prompt window (cmd.exe)

2. Bring up the menu by clicking the top left corner (or press ALT + Spacebar)

3. Click Defaults

4. In the Options tab, place a checkmark near Quick Edit Mode

5. Click OK.

Using the Registry Editor

1. Launch Regedit.exe and navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Console

2. Double-click QuickEdit and set its value data to 1

3. Exit the Registry Editor.

This has been tested in Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7, and may work in other Windows Operating Systems as well.

Registry Fix

To automate the above steps, download quickedit.zip and run the enclosed REG file.

Published on 22nd September 2009
Tags: , ,
Posted in General | 2 Comments »

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.

Published on 3rd September 2009
Tags: , , ,
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | 3 Comments »

Windows Easy Transfer Wizard Runs When Double-Clicking a Drive in Windows XP

After using the Windows Easy Transfer wizard to collect files and settings in the source computer running Windows XP, you may notice that the Windows Easy Transfer wizard runs every time when the drive is double-clicked in My Computer. Also, the drive icon is changed, representing the Windows Easy Transfer program icon.

(more…)

Published on 27th July 2009
Tags: , , ,
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »

Fix: Places Bar in Open/Save as (Common Dialog) Box Is Empty in Windows XP

The places bar which appears in the left side of the Open and Save As dialog boxes in Windows XP, contains shortcuts to the following folders by default:

  • Recent
  • Desktop
  • My Documents
  • My Computer
  • My Network Places

The default places can be customized by editing the registry. After adding/removing custom places using a third-party tool, you may experience a problem where the places bar is completely empty.

(more…)

Published on 12th July 2009
Tags: ,
Posted in Windows XP | 2 Comments »

Checkbox Labels Appended With the Word “on” Or “OFF” In Various Dialog Boxes in Windows XP

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. (more…)

Published on 15th June 2009
Tags:
Posted in Windows XP | 1 Comment »

How to Make Folders Appear as Cascading Menu in the Quick Launch Toolbar

When you create sub-folders in the Quick Launch folder to better organize the shortcuts, the folders will appear in the Quick Launch toolbar correctly, but clicking them would launch Windows Explorer. Some people would like to view the contents of the folder (cascaded as a list) rather than opening the folder when clicked. Here is how to make folders in the Quick Launch toolbar cascade as menu when clicked. (more…)

Published on 4th March 2009
Tags: , , ,
Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP | 9 Comments »

« Older Entries