Tag: Windows Vista

Learning About Application Compatibility Mode in Windows

Application Properties (Compatibility Tab - Dropdown List)

Yesterday, I wrote about an old game that was a favourite of mine back in school, WinTrek as well as some nostalgia from that time of my life. Anyway, with games written for really old operating systems like Windows 3.11 or Windows 95 you might need to tweak things a little bit to get these …

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Build Your Own Network Map in Windows

Network Map Utility in Windows 7

Here’s a quick tip for users of Windows 7. With the number of computers growing in homes and small businesses it can be hard to keep track of how things are connected without following all of the network cables and drawing up a schematic of the network. Now, maybe the dedicated amongst us would prefer …

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Make Your Own DOS USB Boot Disk

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

This one might be a bit out there for the regular crowd out there but for those of us who grew up on the DOS command line (myself included) sometimes you need to get back to basics. Some faithful tools and utilities such as SpinRite only work in DOS and in order to use them …

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Safe Mode and Recovery From Windows Registry Errors

Today, I bumped into a colleague at work who reads this blog and we had a brief chat about yesterday’s article and the fact that I could have come off a little too casual in the way I provided the instructions without warning about the potential risks (up to and including nuking your Windows installation) …

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Stop Windows Update Taking Over the Shutdown Button

Shut down and install updates button

Another quick tip for tonight. Sometimes, when you want to shutdown your computer you might notice that the shutdown button looks like this in Windows 7: When pressed, this button will finish the installation of pending updates for Windows and then shutdown the computer. Sometimes, this isn’t convenient and if you have a habit of …

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Recover Heavily Infected Computers with Microsoft Standaline System Sweeper

Here’s a quick tip for tonight. Microsoft has quietly developed a tool for use in situations where a computer just won’t start due to the number and/or severity of infections riddling it. Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper (MSSS) is not a replacement for a traditional antivirus which is designed continuously in the background checking for nasty …

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Bring Desktop Gadgets to the Fore in Windows 7

'Show Desktop' Shortcut in Windows 7

Another quick tip for tonight. If you use desktop gadgets to keep track of the weather, system resources or other bits and pieces that take your fancy it can be a hassle to move windows out of the way. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to look at your gadgets without moving your windows. …

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Easily Resize Images Under Windows Vista and Windows 7

Another quick tip for tonight. Under Windows XP you could install a variety of “Powertoys” that would add extra functionality to the operating system that was missing out of the bo. One such function was the ability to quickly and easily resize images which relied upon a third party solution unless you installed the Powertoy. Unfortunately, since …

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Keep Track of Multiple Timezones in Windows Vista and Windows 7

Additional Clocks Tab in Date and Time

Here’s a quick tip for those of you who regularly interact with people in other timezones. If you want to get a quick glance at one or two timezones other than the one you’re in then you can add this fairly easily to the “Date and Time” section in Windows. Just click on the time …

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Adjust the Maximum Size of the Recycle Bin in Windows

Leading on from yesterday’s blog entry regarding the practice of emptying the Recycle Bin (or Trash in Mac OS X) I thought it was worth covering how to set the maximum size of the Recycle Bin in Windows to prevent it from growing too large. This is of particular importance on smaller drives in netbooks or more …

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