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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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. 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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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Download Free “Microsoft Download Manager” from Microsoft

Microsoft has released a free download manager for Windows. "Microsoft Download Manager" enables you to download files from the Internet in a more reliable and faster way than using a browser alone. Using the Download Manager makes it easier to download large files such as an application or multimedia files. The Download Manager has been specifically...

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Create Simple Script to Show / Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows XP, Vista and 7

We have posted a tutorial in past to show / hide hidden files and folders quickly and easily in Windows. It provides 2 registry scripts to enable / disable "Show hidden files and folders" option on the fly: Show/Hide Hidden Files & Folders on the fly in Windows XP, Vista & 7 Today in this tutorial, we are going to share a small script which can also be used to enable / disable "Show hidden files and folders" option in Windows. This script when executed, checks the status of "Show hidden files and folders" option and toggles its value....

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Add “Show / Hide Hidden Files” Option in Desktop and Explorer Context Menu under Windows XP, Vista and 7

Recently we posted a simple script to toggle "Show hidden files and folders" option in Windows: Create Simple Script to Show / Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows XP, Vista and 7 And now we'll tell you how to add an option "Show / Hide Hidden Files" in Desktop and Explorer context menu (menu which appears when you right-click) to make the task...

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Create Simple Script to Show / Hide File Extensions in Windows XP, Vista and 7

Recently we posted a tutorial about creating script to show / hide hidden files and folders in Windows: Create Simple Script to Show / Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows XP, Vista and 7 Today in this tutorial, we are going to share another similar script which can be used to show / hide file extensions in Windows. This script when executed, checks the status of "Hide extensions of known file types" option and toggles its value. So if its set to hide file extensions, it changes the option to show file extensions and vice versa. Simply...

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Add “Show / Hide File Extensions” Option in Desktop and Explorer Context Menu under Windows XP, Vista and 7

Recently we posted a simple script to toggle "Hide extensions for known file types" option in Windows: Create Simple Script to Show / Hide File Extensions in Windows XP, Vista and 7 And now we'll tell you how to add an option "Show / Hide File Extensions" in Desktop and Explorer context menu (menu which appears when you right-click) to make the task...

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Kill All Not Responding Programs On The Fly Using A Simple Shortcut

"This program is not responding" is a very common error message which you get in Windows. Many times we find a program not responding and we have to perform an End Task operation on it using Task Manager. Wouldn't it be great if we have a shortcut on Desktop or in Taskbar which can automatically kill all not responding programs upon execution? Just...

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Download X-Setup Pro for FREE: Ultimate Tweaking Software for Microsoft Windows

X-Setup Pro is the ultimate in system configuration or tweaking as some people would say. It covers all types of options and has many useful features. X-Setup Pro is not yet another Windows Hacker; it is the ultimate tool for black belt system tuning and tweaking, running on Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, ME, XP, Vista and 7. X-Setup Pro allows...

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How to Add “Kill Not Responding Tasks” in Desktop Context Menu Under Windows Vista and 7

Recently we posted about a cool "Kill Not Responding Tasks" shortcut which can kill all not responding programs on the fly: Kill All Not Responding Programs On The Fly Using A Simple Shortcut Today in this tutorial, we'll tell you how to add this shortcut in Desktop context menu so that you can access it quickly and easily. It'll only work in Windows...

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Close All: Small Tool to Close All Running Program Windows On The Fly

"Close All" tool lets you to close all running applications with just one click. It doesn't use system resources because it only flashes a 'close' signal to all open windows on the desktop and then ceases. Just create a shortcut to the tool in the Start Menu, Quick Launch, Windows 7 Taskbar or elsewhere. You can always add a hotkey to this shortcut....

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Enhance Windows Taskbar’s Auto-Hide Functionality Using Taskbar Activate

Many Windows users want to customize Taskbar's Auto-Hide feature as there are no settings available by default to customize it. You can't customize Auto-Hide time delay, Always on Top settings, etc. Today we are going to share an excellent small utility "Taskbar Activate" which extends the Auto-hide functionality of Taskbar and provides an interface...

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XTweaker: A Free Portable Tweaking Utility for Windows XP, Vista and 7

We have posted about "Windows 7 Little Tweaker" in past which allows you to tweak a few interesting things in Windows 7. Today we are sharing another similar tool "XTweaker" which works in Windows XP, Vista and 7. It allows you to: Add Msconfig to My Computer Context Menu Add Userpasswords2 to Control Panel Clear Pagefile on Shutdown Add Command Prompt...

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How to Disable Warning Message While Unchecking “Hide Protected Operating System Files” Option in Folder Options

When you try to uncheck "Hide Protected Operating System Files (Recommended)" Option in Folder Options in Windows OS, you get a warning message asking for confirmation as shown in following screenshot: It becomes quite annoying if you frequently enable/disable this option. Today in this tutorial, we'll tell you how to completely remove this warning...

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WinToFlash: Utility to Create Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and 7

WinToFlash is a software for transfer your Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and 7 setup from CD or DVD to USB. This is about you can install your Windows from flash drive, USB pen, HDD, etc to your computer or netbook. And this is not all it can do. WinToFlash can transfer your live CD or DVD to USB card, for example, BartPE. After all...

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How to Open Any Program by Typing its Name in RUN Dialog Box in Windows?

UPDATE: A small utility is available to do the whole task automatically: Run It One of our readers "Balaji" asked us following question: Hi Vishal, I want to know how to create a registry entry for application shortcuts? example: For opening a notepad we go to start - run and type notepad For opening paint brush we use start - run and type mspaint Similarly...

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AeroBar: Show Titlebar Text in Windows Vista and 7 Explorer

UPDATE: Utility version updated to 1.3 which now allows you to easily enable/disable titlebar text. Run the utility once to show titlebar text and run it again to disable titlebar text. So now the utility acts like a switch. Have you ever wondered why Explorer Windows don't show titles in Windows Vista and 7? In earlier versions of Windows, we...

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Classic Shell: Get “Up” Button and Titlebar Text Back in Windows Vista and 7 Explorer

Almost all Windows Vista and 7 users complain about missing "Up" button and Titlebar text in Windows Explorer toolbar. We have blogged about "Mavis Up Button" which can bring back the "Up" button but its not free, you need to pay $4.95 to purchase it. We have also blogged about "AeroBar" which can bring back the titlebar text back in Windows Vista...

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Hide or Show Windows Taskbar on the Fly

"Windows Taskbar Hide" is a very small and portable tool created by "B0M8" @ DA which allows you to hide or show Taskbar easily and quickly. It might become very handy if you use a dock utility like RK Launcher, Rocket Dock, etc. Simply run the tool and click on "Hide" button or press "F9" to hide Taskbar. If you want to show the Taskbar again, click...

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Run It: Small Utility to Allow Opening Any Program by Typing its Name in RUN Dialog Box in Windows

Recently we posted a tutorial about opening a program by just typing its name in RUN dialog box in Windows: How to Open Any Program by Typing its Name in RUN Dialog Box in Windows? The above tutorial requires Registry editing and if you are not comfortable with it, our reader ".Rain" has created a small utility to do the whole task automatically. "Run...

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Is Windows Vista SP3 Coming? List of All Updates and Hotfixes Ready for SP3 Inside

Windows 7 SP1 public beta has been released and if we take a look at our reader "smartie77"'s investigation, we can undoubtedly say that Windows Vista SP3 is also on its way. Thanks to "Smartie77" who spent a lot of time in digging through Windows 7 SP1 content and found that almost all updates available in Windows 7 SP1 have also been released for Windows Vista and Server 2008 by Microsoft. Almost all those updates apply to Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2 labeling as "SP3 release" which clearly indicates that Microsoft is planning to...

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How to Customize Thumbnail Preview Border for Images and Videos in Windows Vista and 7 Explorer?

In Windows Vista and 7 Explorer, if you set "Thumbnail" view for a folder containing images or videos, it shows the thumbnails having a nice looking border with shadow effect. In this tutorial, we'll tell you about a small registry trick which helps you in customizing these thumbnails border. You can remove the drop-shadow effect or add different...

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FluentNotepad: Simple Notepad for Windows with Office 2010 Ribbons UI

If you love the new ribbon UI available in Microsoft Office and other MS products, you'll definitely love this small but excellent Notepad for Windows. "SalvoG92" @ DA has developed a cool Notepad "FluentNotepad" for Windows which comes with Office 2010 look-like ribbon UI. It supports all basic Notepad functions and also allows you to minimize ribbons...

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Taskbar Drop Shadow: Add Cool Drop Shadow Effect to Windows Taskbar

If you use Windows and love to customize its look or add extra eye candy features, here is an interesting utility for you. "Taskbar Drop Shadow" is a small portable tool developed by "sweatyfish" @ DA which adds a drop shadow effect to Windows Taskbar: Its very simple to use. Download the ZIP file and extract it. You'll get 2 EXE files: Top TB Shadow.exe Bottom...

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The Best FREE Alternatives to Notepad

If you use Windows and use the default "Notepad" a lot for various tasks like writing notes, coding, etc, this topic might be useful for you. Today in this topic, we are going to cover a few FREE applications which look and work similar to Notepad but provide lots of useful features which are missing in Notepad. So without wasting any time, lets take a look at the free alternatives to Notepad: Notepad++ Notepad2 Metapad PSPad Programmer's Notepad NoteTab Light TED Notepad SciTE Text Editor BDV Notepad Charny Notepad AkelPad Above are the best...

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The Best FREE Alternatives to Microsoft Paint and Adobe Photoshop

Recently we shared some free alternatives to Notepad: The Best FREE Alternatives to Notepad Today in this topic, we are going to share best FREE alternatives to Windows Paint. Paint is a good tool included in Windows for editing images but it lacks lots of image editing features. You can also these freeware as alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Paint.NETPaint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects,...

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Microsoft Releases Out-of-Band Security Update to Address Windows Shortcut Exploit aka CPLINK

Windows Shortcut Exploit, also known as CPLINK, is a zero-day vulnerability in all versions of Windows that allows a Windows shortcut link, known as an .lnk file, to run a malicious DLL file. The dangerous shortcut links can also be embedded on a website or hidden within documents. The exploit works when you open a device, network share or WebDav point carrying an infection—you don't need to click on anything for the exploit to work, even if you have AutoPlay and AutoRun disabled. There was no patch from Microsoft to fix this exploit but...

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Microsoft Releases Update (Beta) to Fix and Improve Graphics, Media Foundation and Print in Windows Vista

 Microsoft has released a Platform Update Supplement Beta for Windows Vista. This update provides fixes and improvements to graphics, media foundation and print for Windows Vista platform. Please note that its a beta release so use it at your own risk and create a System Restore point first before installing it. This update improves the following issues in Windows Vista SP2: Graphics: This update improves text rendering performance of Direct2D and conformance of Direct2D when you use Direct2D in the following modes: Software rendering mode. Hardware...

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Microsoft Releases Windows Intune Beta, Manage and Secure PCs using Cloud Services

Windows Intune simplifies how businesses manage and secure PCs using Windows cloud services and Windows 7—so your computers and users can operate at peak performance, from virtually anywhere. Windows Intune is a comprehensive solution that includes PC management, malware protection, Windows upgrades, and more. Use the Windows Intune cloud service beta to: Manage updates Protect PCs from malware Proactively monitor PCs Provide remote assistance Track hardware & software inventory Set security policies The Windows Intune client software is...

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FileTypesMan: Free Alternative to Windows Default File Type Option

FileTypesMan is an alternative to the "File Types" tab in "Folder Options" of Windows. It displays the list of all file extensions and types registered on your computer. FileTypesMan also allows you to easily edit the properties and flags of each file type, as well as it allows you to add, edit, and remove actions in a file type. FileTypesMan...

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Default Programs Editor: Yet Another Free Alternative to Windows Default File Type Option

Recently we posted about "FileTypesMan" which is an alternative to the "File Types" tab in "Folder Options" of Windows. Today we are going to share another free tool which is a powerful file association utility for Windows. "Default Programs Editor" is a context menu editor, an autoplay editor, and default programs association editor; essentially,...

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