AquaSnap: Get Windows 7′s Aero Snap and Aero Shake Features in Windows XP and Vista

AquaSnap greatly enhances the way you can arrange windows on your Desktop. It gives you the possibility to snap windows to the edges or to the corners of the desktop simply by dragging and dropping them where you want. AquaSnap is a great replacement for the Aero Snap and Aero Shake features of Windows 7 and is compatible with every Windows version including XP and Vista.
AquaSnap makes the window management much more ergonomic. Drag a window to the border of your desktop, and this window will be snapped and resized to fit one half of the screen. Drag this window to a corner, it will be snapped to fit one quarter. Shake a window, and this window will stay always on top.

Features List:

• Can resize windows to half screen and quarter screen.
• Multiple monitors support.
• Works with child windows of Multiple Document Interface (MDI).
• Skinnable interface.
• Multilingual GUI (English and French).

Download Link
Homepage
Thanks to our reader "Shahnawaz" for sharing this tool...

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AquaSnap: Get Windows 7′s Aero Snap and Aero Shake Features in Windows XP and Vista

AquaSnap greatly enhances the way you can arrange windows on your Desktop. It gives you the possibility to snap windows to the edges or to the corners of the desktop simply by dragging and dropping them where you want. AquaSnap is a great replacement for the Aero Snap and Aero Shake features of Windows 7 and is compatible with every Windows version including XP and Vista.
AquaSnap makes the window management much more ergonomic. Drag a window to the border of your desktop, and this window will be snapped and resized to fit one half of the screen. Drag this window to a corner, it will be snapped to fit one quarter. Shake a window, and this window will stay always on top.

Features List:

• Can resize windows to half screen and quarter screen.
• Multiple monitors support.
• Works with child windows of Multiple Document Interface (MDI).
• Skinnable interface.
• Multilingual GUI (English and French).

Download Link
Homepage
Thanks to our reader "Shahnawaz" for sharing this tool...

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AquaSnap: Get Windows 7′s Aero Snap and Aero Shake Features in Windows XP and Vista

AquaSnap greatly enhances the way you can arrange windows on your Desktop. It gives you the possibility to snap windows to the edges or to the corners of the desktop simply by dragging and dropping them where you want. AquaSnap is a great replacement for the Aero Snap and Aero Shake features of Windows 7 and is compatible with every Windows version including XP and Vista.
AquaSnap makes the window management much more ergonomic. Drag a window to the border of your desktop, and this window will be snapped and resized to fit one half of the screen. Drag this window to a corner, it will be snapped to fit one quarter. Shake a window, and this window will stay always on top.

Features List:

• Can resize windows to half screen and quarter screen.
• Multiple monitors support.
• Works with child windows of Multiple Document Interface (MDI).
• Skinnable interface.
• Multilingual GUI (English and French).

Download Link
Homepage
Thanks to our reader "Shahnawaz" for sharing this tool...

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How to Get Classic XP Styled Navigation Pane Back in Windows 7 Explorer?

We all know that Windows 7 Explorer is pretty much different from XP Explorer. In most of the cases its better than XP Explorer but one thing is really missing in Windows 7 Explorer and that is the good old Navigation pane. Windows 7 Explorer doesn't provide following 2 important features which can be found in XP Explorer:

• Windows XP Explorer shows a tree structure of all folders in Navigation pane.
• Windows XP Explorer Navigation pane automatically expands the content of the selected folder.

Also Windows XP Explorer Navigation pane is simple and minimal. It only shows the drives and folders list under My Computer icon where as Windows 7 Explorer shows lots of unnecessary items like Favorites, Libraries, Homegroup and Network.
Today in this tutorial, we'll learn how to get Windows XP styled Navigation pane back in Windows 7 Explorer.
After following this tutorial, your Windows 7 Explorer Navigation pane will look like following screenshot:

As you can see in above screenshot, the Navigation pane looks very close to XP one. So without wasting any time, lets start the tutorial:
STEP 1: First you'll need to remove the unnecessary items from Navigation pane like Favorites, Homegroup, etc. You can follow following tutorials to remove the desired items:

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Download Windows XP “Luna Silver” Theme for Windows 7

After sharing good old Windows XP's "Luna", "Royale Blue" and "Zune" themes, today we are sharing another excellent theme for Windows 7 users. "Satukoro" @ DA has ported "Luna Silver" theme to Windows 7 so now you can enjoy the theme in Windows 7 as well.
Following is a preview of this theme in action:

You can download this theme using following link:
Download XP "Luna Silver" Theme for Windows 7
More Info
For more information on how to use this theme, please visit following link:
How to Use 3rd Party Themes in Windows 7?

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VistaSwitcher: The Best FREE Windows Alt-Tab Feature Replacement

If you are bored with the default Alt-Tab switcher screen in Windows and want to change it with something new and refreshing, here is a great tool for you. VistaSwitcher is an elegant and powerful task management utility for Windows OS. Once installed, it replaces the default Windows Alt-Tab dialog with a nice box that shows a list of all running tasks, with their names and preview snapshots, and enables the user to take actions on them using the mouse and keyboard shortcuts. With just one click, you can switch tasks, minimize, maximize, restore the main window, or close the process.

The main advantage of VistaSwitcher is a brand new Alt-Tab switching window. Unlike to the stadard Alt-Tab, VistaSwitcher shows a full-sized preview of each task window and easy-to-read relevant lists of tasks running, all shown clearly with titled icons so you can find the one you need within seconds.
With VistaSwitcher, you also have full control over any opened window, all within two clicks away. So, go ahead – minimize, maximize, restore, cascade, tile vertically or horizontally, close or even end the process!
VistaSwitcher runs under Windows XP, Vista and 7. There is also a native 64-bit version available for download. The program integrates into Windows natively and runs without any compatibility issues.
Download Link
Download Link (64-bit)
Homepage
If you want to completely transform your Windows XP into Vista including theme, boot screen, login screen, icons, etc, please follow following tutorial:
Transform Windows XP into Windows Vista without using Customization Pack
And to transform XP into Windows 7, visit following tutorial:
Transform Windows XP into Windows 7 without using Customization Pack

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Visual Subst: Automatically Create Virtual Drives for Your Desired Folder in Windows Explorer

We have posted about the "subst" DOS command in past which allows you to create a virtual drive for your desired folder in Windows Explorer which helps in quick and easy access to your frequently used folders.
Create a Virtual Drive for Your Desired Folder in My Computer Using Subst Command
Today we are going to share a small and portable utility "Visual Subst" which helps in creating these virtual drives quickly and easily by providing a GUI instead of manually creating the drives using the DOS command.
Visual Subst is a small tool that allows you to associate the most accessed directories with virtual drives. It uses the same API similar to the console 'subst' utility, but makes it easier to create and remove virtual drives in a GUI way.

It can be used in almost all Windows versions including XP, Vista and 7.
Visual Subst does not require installation. It is fully portable because all settings are stored into a .INI file. However there is a simple installer provided which will help you to create some program shortcuts.
Download Link (Portable Zip File)
Download Link (Setup EXE File)
Homepage

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Customize Windows Media Player 12 (WMP12) Library Background Image in Windows 7

Windows Media Player 12 in Windows 7 comes with lots of enhancements and new features. One of them is the new Library view which allows users to manage their playlists, music, videos, recorded TV, etc. Library view shows a nice minimal image in the background but did you know you can customize it and replace it with other images?
Actually Microsoft provides 7 background images for WMP 12 Library view but for some unknown reason, all of them are hidden and no simple option is provided to change them. Weird, isn't it?
Today in this tutorial, we'll tell you how to customize the background image of Library view in WMP12:

Change Library View Background Image in WMP12 using Registry Editor

1. Type regedit in RUN or Startmenu Search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences

3. In right-side pane, look for LibraryBackgroundImage DWORD value. It'll have a value of 6 which is the default value.

4. Now to change the background image, you just need to change its value from 6. You are allowed to choose a number between 0-6. Each number provides a new background image for Library view.
So you can set value of LibraryBackgroundImage to any digit between 0 and 6 and you'll get a new background each time.

5. That's it. Once you change the value, restart Windows Media Player and you'll see the new background image.
NOTE: If you don't want to do the task manually, download following ZIP file, extract it and you'll get all required registry scripts to change the background image. You just need to run the desired .REG file and it'll do the whole task automatically.
Download Registry Script

Special TIP for Advanced Users

All these 7 background images are stored in "%windir%\System32\wmploc.dll" file. You can open this file in Resource Hacker or Resource Tuner and then expand "257" directory. Under this directory you'll see several PNGs. You'll find following 6 PNGs after scrolling a bit:

LIBRARY_BACKGROUND2.PNG
LIBRARY_BACKGROUND3.PNG
LIBRARY_BACKGROUND4.PNG
LIBRARY_BACKGROUND5.PNG
LIBRARY_BACKGROUND6.PNG
LIBRARY_BACKGROUND7.PNG

You just need to replace these PNGs with your desired images, save the file and then set the associated number in Registry using Step 4 and you'll see your new custom background image in WMP 12 Library view.
PS: Before editing and saving the file, take ownership of the file using this tutorial. If you still face problem while saving the file, save the file at some other location, then rename existing wmploc.dll file in System32 folder to wmploc_bak.dll and then copy the newly modified wmploc.dll file to System32 folder.

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Microsoft Fix It Center Online: Automatic Troubleshoot Windows Problems

Good news for Windows users. Microsoft has announced "Fix It Center Online" which finds and fixes many common PC and device problems automatically. It also helps prevent new problems by proactively checking for known issues and installing updates. Fix it Center helps to consolidate the many steps of diagnosing and repairing a problem into an automated tool that does the work for you. You can use any computer with Internet connection to get started with Fix it Center. Simply download the Fix it Center client and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. You can install Fix it Center client on as many PCs you like.
Upon installation of the Fix it Center client, it automatically downloads the latest troubleshooters in Microsoft library to your PC. The troubleshooters can "find and fix" issues immediately or "find and notify" you of the issues it detected. The "find and notify" puts you in control – you decide which issues you want the troubleshooters to resolve. No matter what you choose, it shows you a report of what was performed on your PC and offer you options to learn or further investigate the issue or submit a support request at Fix it Center Online.

Microsoft Fix it Center makes getting support easier than ever, with tools that help solve the issues you have now and prevent new ones.

• Easy to Install and Run: Easy-to-use wizards will guide you through the set-up process and help you anytime you need support.
• Automated: With automated troubleshooters, Fix it Center helps solve issues with your PC, even if you're not sure what the exact problem is. Fix It Center scans your device to diagnose and repair problems, then gives you the option to "Find and fix" or to "Find and report".
• Preventive Care: By helping you find and fix issues before they become real problems, Fix it Center helps keep your PC running smoothly and automatically downloading the latest solutions.

Fix it Center can be installed on:

• Windows XP SP3
• Windows XP Pro (64-bit) SP2
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Windows Server 2003 SP2
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 R2

You can download Fix it Center client using following link:
Download Fix it Center now
Fix it Center Homepage

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[Fix] Can’t Apply “Windows Aero” Theme After Applying “Windows Basic” Theme in Windows 7

Lots of Windows 7 users are facing this weird issue. If you switch between Windows Aero and Windows Basic themes several times, one point comes when you might not be able to switch to Windows Aero theme permanently. No "Please Wait" box is displayed and your display remains in Windows Basic theme.
Microsoft has confirmed this issue and provided a workaround to this problem. A proper hotfix will be released once the root cause of the problem is investigated.

Problem Symptom:

Consider the scenario where you decide to change personalization settings for your display in Windows 7 and you do so several times between the Windows 7 Basic and Windows 7 Aero themes. After several iterations between those two themes, your display may no longer change and the "Please Wait" dialog box will no longer be displayed while a change is processing. Your display personalization will remain in the Basic theme.

Problem Cause:

The root cause of this issue is under investigation.

Problem Solution:

You can workaround this issue by selecting the Windows Classic or any of the High Contrast themes, then waiting for the "Please Wait" dialog box and processing to finish, and then select the Aero theme of your preference.

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How to Remove “Branding Logo” and “Ease of Access” (Accessibility) Button from Windows Vista and 7 Login Screens?

This tutorial has been created mainly for customization lovers. Many times you change Windows login screen background to your favorite wallpaper but the "Windows branding logo" which shows the installed Windows edition name, hides the bottom area of the wallpaper and annoys you like hell. Today in this tutorial, we'll learn how to remove the "Windows branding logo" as well as "Ease of Access" button from login screen in Windows Vista and 7.

So here we start the tutorial:
1. First take ownership of "%windir%\System32\authui.dll" file and then open it in Resource Hacker.
Note: here %windir% represents "Windows" directory which can be found in the system drive where Windows is installed. In most of the cases its C:\Windows.
2. Now press "Ctrl+F" keys or select "Find Text" option from "View" menu.
3. To remove "Windows Branding Logo", type following string in the Find what text box:

element id="atom(Branding)"

Click on "Find Next" button and it'll go to following line as shown in the screenshot:

4. Replace the existing <element id="atom(Branding)"/> line with following one:

<element id="atom(Branding)" layoutpos="none"/>

5. Now to remove "Ease of Access" button, search for button id="atom(Accessibility)" string similar to Step 3. It'll show you following line:

<button id="atom(Accessibility)" tooltip="true" layoutpos="left"/>

Simply change layoutpos="left" to layoutpos="none" so that it'll look like following:

<button id="atom(Accessibility)" tooltip="true" layoutpos="none"/>

6. That's it, click on "Compile Script" button and save the file. Now you'll not see the "Windows branding logo" and "Ease of Access" button on login screen.
PS: Windows Vista "authui.dll" file contains only a single instance of (Branding) and (Accessibility) strings, so you'll need to replace them only once using Step 4 and 5 but Windows 7 contains 3 instances of these strings, so you'll need to change all the 3 instances in the file.
NOTE: If you want to use a free tool to customize Windows 7 login screen, check following list:
Ultimate Collection of the Best Free Tools to Customize Windows 7 Login Screen

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How to Remove Shutdown Button from Windows Vista and 7 Login Screens?

Recently we posted a tutorial for removing "Windows Branding Logo" and "Ease of Access" (Accessibility) Button from Windows Vista and 7 Login Screens: How to Remove “Branding Logo” and “Ease of Access” (Accessibility) Button from Windows Vista and 7 Login Screens?
Today in this tutorial, we'll tell you how to remove "Shutdown" button from the Login screen!

Here we start the tutorial:
1. First take ownership of "%windir%\System32\authui.dll" file and then open it in Resource Hacker.
Note: here %windir% represents "Windows" directory which can be found in the system drive where Windows is installed. In most of the cases its C:\Windows.
2. Now press "Ctrl+F" keys or select "Find Text" option from "View" menu.
3. Type Shutdown in Find what text box. Click on "Find Next" button and it'll go to following lines:

<element id="atom(ShutDownFrame)" layout="flowlayout()">
<button id="atom(ShutDown)" accname="resstr(12128)" tooltip="true"/>
<button id="atom(ShutDownOptions)" accname="resstr(12131)" accdesc="resstr(12131)" tooltip="true" shortcut="115"/>

4. Replace the last 2 lines of code with following:

<element id="atom(ShutDownFrame)" layout="flowlayout()">
<button id="atom(ShutDown)" accname="resstr(12128)" tooltip="true" layoutpos="none"/>
<button id="atom(ShutDownOptions)" accname="resstr(12131)" accdesc="resstr(12131)" tooltip="true" shortcut="115" layoutpos="none"/>

Guess what? We are only adding an extra string layoutpos="none" at the end of each line.
5. That's it, click on "Compile Script" button and save the file. Now you'll not see the "Shutdown" button on login screen.
PS: Windows Vista "authui.dll" file contains only a single instance of (ShutDown) string, so you'll need to replace it only once using Step 3 and 4 but Windows 7 contains 3 instances of this string, so you'll need to change all the 3 instances in the file.
NOTE: If you want to use a free tool to customize Windows 7 login screen, check following list:
Ultimate Collection of the Best Free Tools to Customize Windows 7 Login Screen

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Download Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7

Microsoft has released a Touch Pack for Windows 7 users which is a collection of games and applications that are made available to computers with multi-touch enabled displays running Windows 7. The Touch Pack includes:
Microsoft Blackboard, an intricate game of physics in which you solve a puzzle by creating a fanciful machine on a blackboard.
Microsoft Garden Pond, a tranquil game that takes place in serene Japanese water gardens.
Microsoft Rebound, a game in which you use your fingertips to control Tesla spheres with an electrical field between them to catapult a metal game ball into your opponent's goal.
Microsoft Surface Globe, a program that you can use to explore the earth as a flat 2-D map or as an immersive 3-D experience.
Microsoft Surface Collage, a program that you can use to explore and interact with your photos and arrange them as a desktop background.
Microsoft Surface Lagoon, a screen saver and interactive water simulation, complete with a meditative rock arrangement and playful, shy fish.
This pack can be installed in following Windows 7 editions:

• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Ultimate

Both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions are supported.
System Requirements:

• A computer or monitor that supports Windows Touch (at least 2 touch input support required)
• 1.3 GHz or higher processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 600 MB available hard disk space
• 128 MB 3D video card with Hardware Textures & Lighting
• DirectX 9.0 or later capable video card

Download Link

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[Fix] System Restore Point Creation / Configuration Disabled by Group Policy or System Administrator

Sometimes when you try to create a System Restore point or want to configure System Restore feature in Windows, you find that the Create and Configure buttons are grayed out and you see following messages:

System Restore Point Creation Disabled by Group Policy
System Restore Point Configuration Disabled by System Administrator

It happens when the creation of System Restore point or configuration of System Restore is disabled by system administrator.
To fix this problem, you just need to follow these simple steps:

First Method: Using Group Policy Editor

1. Type gpedit.msc in RUN or Startmenu Searchbox and press Enter. It'll open Group Policy Editor.
2. Now navigate to:

Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> System Restore

3. In right-side pane, make sure both "Turn off Configuration" and "Turn off System Restore" options are set to "Not Configured". If both or any of them is set to "Enabled", double-click on the option and set its value to "Not Configured".

4. That's it. It'll immediately enable System Restore in your system.

Second Method: Using Registry Editor

1. Type regedit in RUN or Startmenu Searchbox and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore

3. In right-side pane, if you see any of following 2 DWORD values, delete them:

DisableConfig
DisableSR

4. Restart or log off your system and System Restore will be enabled.
NOTE: If you don't want to do the task manually and want a ready-made registry script to do the task automatically, download following ZIP file, extract it and then run .REG file:
Download Registry Script

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Enable “Pin to Start Menu” Option for Folders in Windows XP, Vista and 7

Pinning an item to Start menu helps you in accessing that item quickly and easily. By default Windows only allows programs or shortcuts to be pinned to Start menu. You can't pin a folder to Start menu. Reason? No reason. Weird? 100 %. In this tutorial, we are sharing a very small and simple registry trick which can enable "Pin to Start Menu" option for folders as well so that you can pin them to Start menu without any problem as shown in following screenshot:

Simply follow these simple steps:
1. Type regedit in RUN or Startmenu Search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\

3. Under this key, create a new key with the name {a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}
4. That's it. Now press "SHIFT" key and right-click on any desired folder and you'll get "Pin to Start Menu" option.

5. If you want to remove "Pin to Start Menu" option in future, you can delete the key created in Step 3.
NOTE: If you want to remove the pinned folder from Start menu, you can right-click on the pinned folder in Start menu and select "Remove from this list" option. Alternatively, you can press "SHIFT" key and right-click on the folder in Explorer window and select "Unpin from Start Menu" option.
PS: If you don't want to do the task manually, download following ZIP file, extract it and you'll get the required registry script to do the task automatically. You just need to run the .REG file and it'll add the option:
Download Registry Script

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Microsoft Releases Updates for Windows Vista, Server 2008 and 7 to Support Secure Digital (SD) Cards Larger Than 32 GB

Microsoft has released updates for Windows Vista, Server 2008 and 7 to support Secure Digital (SD) cards that are larger than 32 GB. Consider the following scenario:

• You connect a Secure Digital (SD) card that is larger than 32 GB to a computer that is running Windows Vista, 7 or Windows Server 2008.
• You try to format the SD card, or try to check its properties.

In this scenario, the capacity of the SD card is reported incorrectly.
Actually Windows Vista, Server 2008 and 7 contain a bug which appears when you try to connect a SD card larger than 32 GB. Windows can't calculate the correct size of the SD card.
In Windows, the capacity of SD cards that are equal to or lower than 32 GB is calculated correctly. However, for SD cards that are larger than 32 GB, the high bits are shifted incorrectly by 6 bits instead of 16 bits. Therefore, the capacity is calculated incorrectly.
Windows Vista and Server 2008 users can request for the update using following link:
Request Hotfix for Windows Vista and Server 2008
Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 users can download the update using following links:
Download Update for Windows 7
Download Update for Windows 7 (64-bit)
Download Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Download Update for Windows Server 2008 R2 (IA-64)

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Enable Hidden Secret Control Panel Items in Windows Vista and 7

Did you know Windows Vista and 7 hide some important items in Control Panel from you? Surprised? Lets talk in details! Actually Windows allows you to show or hide specific items in Control Panel using simple registry trick which is described in details in following tutorial:
How to Hide / Show Specific Control Panel Applets / Icons in Windows?
Using the same trick Microsoft has disabled some items in Control Panel in Windows Vista and 7 for no reason. Really, those hidden items are useful and might be very important for some users but for some unknown reason, those are hidden by default.
Today in this tutorial, we'll tell you how to enable those hidden items in Control Panel so that you can access them whenever you want.
1. Type regedit in RUN or Startmenu Search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\don't load

3. The above mentioned key contains some .CPL entries in right-side pane which makes them hidden in Control Panel.

4. You can simply delete the "don't load" key and all hidden items will be enabled in Control Panel.
PS: Windows 7 users! Please read NOTE 1, NOTE 2 and NOTE 3 given at the end of this tutorial before deleting the key.

As you can see in the above screenshot, the items pointed in dark were hidden by default but now they are enabled using this registry trick.
NOTE 1: If you delete the whole "don't load" key in Windows 7, you might get some duplicate items in Control Panel e.g., you'll get 2 Keyboard, 2 Mouse, 2 Sound entries in Control Panel. To fix this issue, don't delete the whole key, instead only delete following entries from right-side pane:

hdwwiz.cpl
appwiz.cpl
ncpa.cpl
sysdm.cpl
desk.cpl
joy.cpl
Firewall.cpl
collab.cpl
irprops.cpl
tabletpc.cpl
bthprops.cpl
infocardcpl.cpl

NOTE 2: Windows Vista allows you to delete the registry key but Windows 7 will not allow you. You'll need to take permission on the key before deleting it. You can use following simple steps to take permission:

• Right-click on the "don't load" key and select "Permissions...".
• It'll open a dialog box, Click on "Advanced" button.
• It'll open another dialog box, Go to "Owner" tab.
• Select your Username from the list and click on "Apply" button and then OK.
• Again click on OK button in the first dialog box.
• Now again right-click on the same key and select "Permissions...".
• Select your Username in the list and check the "Allow" option for "Full Control".
• Click on Apply button and then OK.

NOTE 3: If by any chance you deleted the whole "don't load" key in Windows 7 and getting duplicate items in Control Panel, you can download following ZIP file, extract it and run the extracted .REG file. It'll fix the issue and you'll no longer get duplicate items:
Download Registry Script

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How to Get Classic XP Styled “Network Connections” Back in Control Panel Under Windows Vista and 7?

If you are using Windows Vista or 7, you must be missing the good old Classic XP styled "Network Connections" list. In Windows XP, you can access all your network connections quickly and easily using "Network Connections" item in Control Panel but Windows Vista and 7 don't show the connections list in such way. Actually in Windows Vista and 7, "Network Connections" has been replaced by "Network and Sharing Center" which is very complicated compared to XP IMO.
No need to worry, now you can get the classic "Network Connections" back in Vista and 7 Control Panel using this simple tutorial.
This tutorial will use the same trick mentioned in following tutorial:
Enable Hidden Secret Control Panel Items in Windows Vista and 7
So here we start the tutorial:
1. Type regedit in RUN or Startmenu Search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\don't load

3. The above mentioned key will contain some .CPL entries in right-side pane as shown in following screenshot:

4. Delete the "ncpa.cpl" String value from right-side pane and "Network Connections" will get enabled in Control Panel.

NOTE: Windows Vista allows you to delete the registry value but Windows 7 will not allow you. You'll need to take permission on the key before deleting it. You can use following simple steps to take permission:

• Right-click on the "don't load" key and select "Permissions...".
• It'll open a dialog box, Click on "Advanced" button.
• It'll open another dialog box, Go to "Owner" tab.
• Select your Username from the list and click on "Apply" button and then OK.
• Again click on OK button in the first dialog box.
• Now again right-click on the same key and select "Permissions...".
• Select your Username in the list and check the "Allow" option for "Full Control".
• Click on Apply button and then OK.

Now you'll be able to delete "ncpa.cpl" String value in Windows 7 as well.

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How to Add “Network Connections” Folder in My Computer?

In this tutorial, we'll learn how to add "Network Connections" list in My Computer window so that you can access it quickly and easily. This tutorial will use the same trick mentioned in following tutorial:
How to Add Recycle Bin, Run, Search and Many Other Useful Shortcuts in My Computer?
So here we start the tutorial:
1. Type regedit in RUN or startmenu search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace

3. Now we'll need to create a new key under "NameSpace" key. Right-click on "NameSpace" key and select "New -> Key". Set its name to {7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E} as shown in following screenshot:

4. That's it. As soon as you set the value in registry, it'll immediately start showing "Network Connections" in My Computer.

NOTE: To delete it from My Computer window, simply delete the key created in Step 3 from registry.
PS: If you want ready-made registry scripts to add the shortcut automatically, then download following ZIP file, extract it and run the .REG file. It'll automatically add "Network Connections" in My Computer window. An uninstall script is also included in the pack to remove the item.
Download Registry Script

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How to Add “Network Connections” Shortcut in My Computer Context Menu?

In this tutorial, we'll learn how to add "Network Connections" shortcut in My Computer context menu so that you can access it quickly and easily.
Following are the required steps:
1. Type regedit in RUN or startmenu search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

3. Now we'll need to create a new key under "Shell" key. Right-click on "Shell" key and select "New -> Key". Give the new key name "Network Connections".
4. Now right-click on the new key which we created in step 3 and select "New -> Key". Give the new key name of command.
5. In right-side pane, change value of "Default" to:

explorer shell:::{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}

6. That's it. Now you can have "Network Connections" shortcut in My Computer context menu.
NOTE: Windows 7 users can also have an icon for the shortcut. To set the icon, select the key created in Step 3 and in right-side pane, create a new String value "Icon". Set its value to ncpa.cpl
PS. If you want a ready-made registry script to do the task automatically, download following ZIP file, extract it and run the desired REG file:
Download Registry Script

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How to Add “Network Connections” Shortcut in Desktop Context Menu Under Windows Vista and 7

In this tutorial, we'll learn how to add "Network Connections" shortcut in Desktop context menu so that you can access it quickly and easily.
It'll only work in Windows Vista and 7.
Following are the required steps:
1. Type regedit in RUN or startmenu search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell (for Windows 7)
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\Shell (for Windows Vista)

3. Now we'll need to create a new key under "Shell" key. Right-click on "Shell" key and select "New -> Key". Give the new key name "Network Connections".
4. Now right-click on the new key which we created in step 3 and select "New -> Key". Give the new key name of command.
5. In right-side pane, change value of "Default" to:

explorer shell:::{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}

6. That's it. Now you'll have "Network Connections" shortcut in Desktop context menu.
PS: Windows 7 users can also set an icon and position for the shortcut.
To set the icon, select the key created in Step 3 and in right-side pane, create a new String value "Icon". Set its value to ncpa.cpl
To set its position in the context menu, create a new String value "Position" and set its value to:

Top (To show it at top)
Bottom (To show it at bottom)

PS. If you want a ready-made registry script to do the task automatically, download following ZIP file, extract it and run the desired REG file:
Download Registry Script

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