PC-TALKS

Windows Vista Tips : Adding | Removing Icons in Notification Ares

Published on 2009-05-22 10:56:34

The Windows notification area is the most frequently used part of the desktop taskbar. It keeps you up to date with whats going on on your computer by animated icons that occassionally poup with messages for you. A great example is when there are Windows updates ready for your computer or if your laptop battery is running low.span class="fullpost"> The notification area also holds the volume control icon, the time, and any other program icons that are enabled to show there. You can change the se

Windows Vista Tips : Blue Screen of Errors

Published on 2009-05-20 11:33:49

Important note: The symptoms and solutions described below address only a small subset of the possible causes for blue screen errors, aka BSOD. This information can help address blue screen errors specifically related to Turbo Memory, but may not solve errors related to other issues. Please read through the instructions completely, make sure they apply to your system, and after attempting the solutions please post back with your feedback for the community.Some users may experience random blue sc

Windows Vista Tips : Some Cool Windows Vista Shortcuts

Published on 2009-05-20 11:15:42

If you're looking to get the most out of Windows, you should master some of the many keyboard shortcuts that are available. These are all specifically based around the Windows Key, which appears on newer PC keyboards: Quick Launch shortcuts Shortcut: WinKey + 1, 2, 3 ... etc. If you use the Quick Launch taskbar toolbar, you can quickly launch up to the first nine shortcuts you keep there using the Windows Key plus a number. So the first shortcut, from left to right, would be WinKey + 1, the

Children's Safety Tips when Using Internet

Published on 2009-05-20 11:07:09

Here are some general guidelines: * Place your computer in an open room with the monitor facing out. This allows you to see and control what is occurring on the Internet. * Educate your children about the Internet, both the positives and the potential dangers. * Bookmark child-friendly web sites. This allows your children to easily get to safe sites that they have used before. * Teach your children that Internet safety means never giving out personal information over the Internet. * Sh

Internet Explorer 7.0 Tweaks

Published on 2009-05-13 03:31:39

Market share for Internet Explorer is still up there at around the 45% mark (between IE7 and IE6 combined), against Firefox following very closely neck and neck. If you haven't converted to Firefox 2.x and are not planning to do so anytime soon, there are a few tweaks that you may want to consider doing immediately in IE 7 so that you are getting the most out of it.Lets look at some tips and tweaks that don't require you to install any free addons first.Disable Automatic Network DetectionIf you

Windows Vista Tips : How to Enable auto log-on

Published on 2009-05-12 03:04:31

As you know, one of the many areas in which there are vast improvements in Windows Vista is security. Even so, if you're the only one who has access to your computer in your home, having to log on each time you turn on the computer, may seem like overkill. Fortunately, you can configure Windows Vista to automatically logon with your account when you turn on your computer.To do so, click the Start button and type netplwiz in the Start Search text box and then press [Enter]. When you do, you’ll

Windows Vista Tips : Disabling Automatic Restart

Published on 2009-05-12 02:58:12

Windows Vista is setup by default to restart immediately after a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) or other major system problem. This reboot usually happens too fast to see the error message on screen.Follow these easy steps to disable the automatic restart feature for system failures in Windows Vista.Difficulty: EasyTime Required: Disabling the Automatic Restart option in Windows Vista usually takes less than 10 minutesHere's How: 1. Click on Start and then Control Panel. Tip: In a hurry

Windows Vista Tips :: Changing Vista Serial key Without Reinstalling

Published on 2009-05-12 02:54:34

Changing the Windows Vista serial key may be necessary if you discover your current key is pirated or illegal but you don't want to reinstall Windows Vista to activate your new legal key.Difficulty: EasyTime Required: Changing the Windows Vista product key usually takes less than 10 minutesHere's How: 1. Click on Start and then Control Panel. Tip: In a hurry? Type system in the search box after clicking Start. Choose System from the list of results and then skip to Step 4. 2. Click

Windows Vista Tips ::Retrieving Administrator Password in Windows Vista

Published on 2009-05-12 02:50:15

An administrator password in Windows Vista is the password to any account that's setup to access administrator level functions in Windows Vista.There doesn't actually have to be an "Administrator" user account. What you need is the password to any account that can act as an administrator.There are a few times when you will need this password! You may need an administrator password in Windows Vista if you're trying to run certain types of programs or access certain Windows Vista recovery tools.Fo

9 Ways To Increase FireFox Speed

Published on 2009-05-12 02:29:22

1. Enable pipeliningBrowsers are normally very polite, sending a request to a server then waiting for a response before continuing. Pipelining is a more aggressive technique that lets them send multiple requests before any responses are received, often reducing page download times.To enable it, type about:config in the address bar, double-click network.http.pipelining and network.http.proxy.pipelining so their values are set to true, then double-click network.http.pipelining.maxrequests and set

Thirteen optimization tips for Vista on UMPCs.

Published on 2009-05-10 04:30:23

I’m convinced, as are most Vista UMPC owners, that a standard install of Vista on a UMPC is not optimal. I’ve seen it and so have many others. Its torture. Especially if you’re used to a relatively spritely windows XP installation so here’s my top 13 tips for optimizing Vista on UMPCs. Most of these I have tried myself. Others came as tips from third parties. If you have more tips, let me know and I’ll add them to the list. 1. Disable Windows sidebar. Well known to take processing pow

Windows Vista Trick : Make Vista’s UAC Less Annoying

Published on 2008-12-19 05:35:01

Vista’s User Access Control is annoying albeit it helps to protect your PC. But now, there is a simple way of getting rid UAC prompts without stopping it altogether or leaving your computer at risk. This involves a registry edit, so make sure to back up your registry first. Then click Start, type regedit, and press Enter.In the left pane, select HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrent-VersionPoliciesSystem. In the right pane, double click ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin and change t

Create New Folder Keyboard Shortcut

Published on 2008-12-19 04:14:01

One of the most glaring oversights of Windows Explorer is that there is no keyboard shortcut to create a new folder. Here is a tool that lets you just hit F12 to create a new folder. Alternatively, you can find a few solutions in this blog. Here is a brief explanation of my current solution:1. Make a file called something like createfolder.vbs and put this in it Set WSHShell=WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") WScript.Sleep 500 WSHShell.SendKeys "%(FWF)"2. Put the file somewhere

How-to Know if-You Have Spyware | Ad-ware | Viruses

Published on 2008-12-19 03:11:18

Usually, the easiest way to tell you have spyware is because your PC is running at a reduced speed. The other way to check is to hit CTRL+ALT+DELETE and hit task manager (if you have windows service pack 2. If you have before SP2, then this should automatically bring up the task manager).Once the task manager is open, check your running processes under the “Processes” tab. If you see a lot of strange processes running you don’t recognize, you likely are infected with spyware, ad-ware or vi

Make Internet Explorer Open in the Window Size You Want

Published on 2008-12-18 08:48:01

Periodically, Internet Explorer (IE) forgets the settings for its window size and decides to open in an annoying small window. If you close all other IE windows that might be open, resize the small window (do not maximize) and then close it, IE is supposed to remember that it was resized when you next open it. But sometimes it goes right ahead and opens in a small window again. In that case, there are several methods to try. * Resize (with only one window open) and then close by clicking the

Windows XP : Change Start Menu picture

Published on 2008-12-18 07:44:01

You probably have a chess piece for your picture on your Start Menu. Yuk (if you don't play chess)Change it:Go to the Start Menu and click right ON that picture. Now..pick a new one. You're not limited to those, you can click on Browse for more pictures and pick one of your OWN pictures if you want. XP will size it according to it's needs...so no need to find a tiny picture.Once you do, you'll see a new dialog box. If you don't like the picture you just chose, click on Change My Picture and try

Windows XP : Stop Error Reporting

Published on 2008-12-18 05:42:00

Ok....you've had enough of the error reporting stuff. You know...every time a program shuts down and XP wants to send the error report to Microsoft.Here's how you stop it from coming back over and over again. Go to Control Panel, System, click on the Advanced tab, then click on the Error Reporting button at the bottomPut the circle in for Disable Error Reporting. If you still want to be notified that a program will be shutting down from an error, the you can put the Check IN the box for 'But not

Messenger Stopped from trying-to run-or sign-on

Published on 2008-12-18 04:39:01

I don't use Messenger, but when I got WinXP...it always wanted to start.If you don't want/use it either and it still keeps trying to start (or it's leaving the icon on your systray (down by the time), Get rid of it.In Outlook Express click on Tools, Options, REMOVE the check for Automatically Log On To Windows MessengerClick on Start, Run, then type:msconfigthen press the enter keyClick on the Start Up tabIf you see Messenger in the list, and there's a check in the box...click in the box to remo

Windows XP : Toggle Viewing Folder List for a Particular Folder

Published on 2008-12-18 03:35:31

When viewing a folder in Windows XP Explorer, you can toggle an Explorer 'Folders' view that can appear in the left pane of the folder. This lets you see where the currently open folder is in relation to other folders on your system. Plus, you can easily navigate the folder tree, move folders around, copy or move files in the current folder to other folders, etc. To toggle this view for a particular folder, check or uncheck "View" - "Explorer Bar" - "Folders" as desired.Note that this tip only w

How-to Backup Windows XP

Published on 2008-12-18 03:05:01

Learn how to backup your Windows XP computer quickly. This is a down and dirty full system backup. This will allow you to restore everything on your system if you had a system crash.Steps1. Click Start -> Run -> type in, with out the quotes, "ntbackup.exe" .2. Click on Backup Wizard and then "Next".3. Select the radio button "Backup everything on this computer" and click "Next".4. Choose a location where you will save your backup.5. Type in a name of your backup that you will recognize and click

How-to Resize Your Wallpaper

Published on 2008-12-17 12:43:19

If you just switched to a wide-screen monitor, your desktop wallpaper image may nolonger look right, or maybe you just want to make a small adjustment to it.For more-granular control of your wallpaper's placement, highlight the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERControlPaneldesktop Double-click the WallpaperOriginX icon in the right pane.(If you don't see this icon, right-click in this pane, choose New, String Value, type WallpaperOriginX to name the value, and press .) Type a number (in pixels) f

Solving Router Problems

Published on 2008-12-17 12:40:11

The simple act of turning a router off for a few seconds and then turning it back again might be enough to get it working properly. You can also try ‘pinging’ the router to check the connectivity.Go to Start, Run and type cmd into the box. Type ‘ping’ (without the quotes) and the router’s internal IP address (this should be listed in the manual). The common addresses are: 192.168.0.1 (Netgear and D-Link models), 192.168.1.1 (Linksys and 3Com) and 192.168.2.1 (USRobotics). If you get a

How to prevent | delete | remove virus | spyware | trojan from USB Pendrive

Published on 2008-12-16 09:57:01

If you are one of those people who always use your USB pendrive outside (Cybercafe, school, workplace) Then most probably your USB pendrive may have been infected by virus, spyware or trojan. Here are some tips on how to remove those sneaky virus, spyware or trojan from USB pendrive.In command prompt type attrib -r -a -s -h *.* and press enter. This will remove the Read Only, Archive, System and hidden file attribute from all the files. Now just delete the files using the command del filename (e

How-to remove Bar311.exe PC shuts down virus

Published on 2008-12-16 07:49:00

Last weekend i just finished formatting my laptop for having a very serious problem regarding these various types of viruses and keeps my day paranoid… One of them is this bar311.exe that keeps blocking my cmd (command prompt) thing… so ill just shared this method on how to solve this problem…This is the symptom of a computer having bar311.exe virus A.K.A. winzip123. The virus comprises bar311.exe, password_viewer.exe, photos.zip.exe and pc-off.bat.When you boot your Windows XP in Safe Mod

Saving Memory and Increasing Speed

Published on 2008-12-16 06:55:01

1 In Windows 9x/Me, the system cache setting is not always optimised. A software called Cacheman will do this for you. In Windows 2000/XP, try changing the I/O lock page size. To do this, you can use Xteq Systems X-Setup. Choose the appropriate setting under System » Memory.2 Clear the startup programs: Startup programs get loaded along with Windows. This causes a delay before the desktop becomes active. Most of these programs do nothing but hog precious memory. See if you can use the progra