Notes ACCESS 2022 | Browsers | Css | Htacess | Html | Html5 | Javascript | Microsoft Excel | Mysql | Mysql Dumps | Php | Vb.net | VBscript | Windows <=8 | Windows >=10 | WP | WP Plugin | WP Themes | _Misc Software | ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZONPRTOFF codeid operationid title keywords application code languageid show_html show_iframe make_public viewed viewed_date language operation <- Look Inside DataConditions:Order: 38 Language Operation Title Keywords Application Code Languageid Show Html Show Iframe Make Public Viewed Viewed Date Windows <=8 Customizing Creating Your Own Menu Using The Windows Toolbar toolbar too bar desktop desk top right click folder task bar Even though it is cool using the bricks in the start menu I still like putting my favorite apps on the windows task bar without pinning. It takes up a lot less space. To do this: <ul><li>Right click on the desk top and create a new folder. Give it a Short name so it does not take up much space on the tool bar</li> <li>I like my desk top clean so I just dragged and dumped everything I use a lot on this folder. You will need to copy and paste if you want an icon to stay on the desk top.</li> <li>Leave the folder on your desktop.</li> <li>Right click on the task bar and click on toolbars-new toolbar.</li> <li>From the dialogue box select the Desktop. Select the file folder that you named.</li> <li>You now have all your favorites on the task bar. After you reboot the will be list by alpha.</li> </ul> Windows <=8 1296 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Customizing Making Changes To Your Computer auto dim pc settings control panel Like windows 7 you can use the control panel to adjust the power management and hardware settings. Windows 8 has the PC Settings in the right bar under "SETTINGS" that also has options. My Samsung computer would dim every time it would boot up and I would take it to the place I bought and could not create it. After several hours of frustration I found an auto dim setting that I unchecked. Make sure you look here also Windows <=8 1916 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Customizing Updating To Windows 10 windows 10 update My computer does not give me the option to update to 10. I found this link which may help. <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10" target="new">https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10</a> Windows <=8 888 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Customizing To Increase Virtual Memory In Windows 8.1 virtual memory performance Windows To increase virtual memory in Windows 8.1, open System Properties, go to the Advanced tab, click Settings under Performance, then click Change under Virtual Memory. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, select your desired drive, choose Custom size, and input an Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB). A common recommendation is an initial size of 1.5 times your RAM and a maximum size of 3 times your RAM, converted to MB (1 GB = 1024 MB). Click Set, then OK, and restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Step-by-step guide to increase virtual memory in Windows 8.1: 1. Access System Properties: Press the Windows key + X and select System, or right-click on "Computer" (or "This PC") and select Properties. 2. Navigate to Advanced System Settings: In the System window, click on Advanced system settings on the left-hand side. 3. Open Advanced -> Performance -> Settings: In the System Properties dialog box, go to the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under the Performance section. Access Virtual Memory Settings: In the Performance Options window, go to the Advanced tab, then click the Change button under the Virtual memory section. Disable Automatic Management: Uncheck the box that says "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives". Set Custom Size: Select your desired drive (usually the C: drive) and choose the "Custom size" option. Enter Initial and Maximum Sizes: In the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB) fields, enter your desired values. -- Recommendation: Set the initial size to 1.5 times your installed RAM and the maximum size to 3 times your installed RAM. -- Conversion: Remember that 1 GB is equal to 1024 MB. Apply and Confirm: Click Set, then OK to close the Performance Options window, and click OK again to close the System Properties window. Restart Your Computer: A restart is required for the new virtual memory settings to take effect. Windows <=8 1 09/14/2025 Windows <=8 Files Register Ocx register ocx dll MSINET.OCX for 64 bit Windows 7 & Vista : AngryByteSep 9, 2010 ... MSINET.OCX is a file required by many old application in order to ... in the command prompt type: “regsvr32 c:\windows\syswow64\MSINET.OCX” MSINET.OCX is a file required by many old application in order to parse HTML pages . This OCX will not register as most of know, by putting in in the system32 folder and typing the command “regsvr32 MSINET.OCX”. With newer 64 bit systems it is a bit tricky. Here is how to do it 1. download the file here 2. Copy it to c:\windows\syswow64 3. type the following “Run” command “CMD” then right click the command prompt search result and hit “run as administrator”, in the command prompt type: “regsvr32 c:\windows\syswow64\MSINET.OCX” and yes, you must type the full path to the file, not just the name. 4. That’s it it should work now. Windows <=8 1650 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files Short Filenames dos short file names Folders: There is Microsoft's algorithm, for converting a regular (long) filename to a DOS (short) filename, which you can probably find on MSDN. The most basic operation is indeed to construct an "8.3" abbreviation by appending "~1" to the first 6 chars, then dropping everything else, up to the first (?) ".", and taking only the first 3 chars after that, for the "extension". But the algorithm continues, if you have a lot of files with similar names, for instance (after you run out of "~2", "~3", ...). But then, there is the entirely different operation, of taking a directory in a FAT32/NTFS filesystem, and getting the actual (short and long) names stored for the files in it (as in "DIR /X"), IF the filesystem has generated a short name for each file (I think in the NTFS version used in WindowsXP, the short name is no longer generated and stored, by default, for every file?). So, using Microsoft's algorithm you can predict what the short name should be, but retrieving the actual short name from the directory is a different operation. The two should match, except in the newer filesystems e.g. NTFS under WinXP, where there may no longer be a short name stored for a given file (I think you can still create and store the short name for a given file, on demand if needed?). Files: Windows supports long file names up to 255 characters in length. Windows also generates an MS-DOS-compatible (short) file name in 8.3 format to allow MS-DOS-based or 16-bit Windows-based programs to access the files. MORE INFORMATIONWindows generates short file names from long file names in the following manner:...Windows generates short file names from long file names in the following manner: Windows deletes any invalid characters and spaces from the file name. Invalid characters include: . " / \ [ ] : ; = , Because short file names can contain only one period (.), Windows removes additional periods from the file name if valid, non-space characters follow the final period in the file name. For example, Windows generates the short file name Thisis~1.txt from the long file name This is a really long filename.123.456.789.txt Otherwise, Windows ignores the final period and uses the next to the last period. For example, Windows generates the short file name Thisis~1.789 from the long file name This is a really long filename.123.456.789. Windows truncates the file name, if necessary, to six characters and appends a tilde (~) and a digit. For example, each unique file name created ends with "~1." Duplicate file names end with "~2," "~3," and so on. Windows truncates the file name extension to three characters or less. Windows translates all characters in the file name and extension to uppercase. Note that if a folder or file name contains a space, but less than eight characters, Windows still creates a short file name. This behavior may cause problems if you attempt to access such a file or folder over a network. To work around this situation, substitute a valid character, such as an underscore (_), for the space. If you do so, Windows does not create a different short file name For example, "Afile~1.doc" is generated from "A file.doc" because the long file name contains a space. No short file name is generated from "A_file.doc" because the file name contains less than eight characters and does not contain a space. The short file name "Alongf~1.txt" is generated from the long file name "A long filename.txt" because the long file name contains more than eight characters. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows <=8 2443 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To View The Contents Of The Clipboard clipboard The Windows clipboard is where the text, graphics, etc. that you cut or copy reside, waiting for you to paste them to another location. In Windows XP, it was easy to view the contents of the clipboard with clipbrd.exe, but Microsoft removed that feature in Vista and Windows 7, due to security concerns. However, you can copy the file from an XP computer and install it on Vista or Windows 7. Here's how: On the XP computer, right click Start, click Explore and navigate to: C: \ Windows \ System32 Find the file named clipbrd.exe and copy it to a USB thumb drive or a location on the network that's accessible to the Vista/Windows 7 computer. Now on the Vista/Windows 7 computer, copy it to that computer's System32 folder. Note: If you can't see the System32 folder, in Explorer first click Organize | Layout and check "Menu Bar" to display the menu bar, then click Tools | Folder Options, click the View tab, and under Advanced Settings, scroll down and check the option to "Show hidden files, folders and drives." Then uncheck the option to "Hide protected operating system drives (recommended) and click "Yes" when asked if you're sure you want to do this. Windows <=8 1855 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files System Restore Points Are Deleted When You Restart Your Windows 7 Comp system restore points delete <p>System Restore can be a lifesaver - but only if you have a restore point when you need it. What if you restart the computer and find that your restore points are now gone? You can create new ones - but if you restart the system again, poof! They disappear, too! What's up with that? Well, it might be that the maxium storage size limit for shadow storage is set too low. Find out how to fix it, in KB article 2506576.</p> To resolve this issue, adjust the maximum shadow storage allocation. To do this, follow the steps listed below: Click Start, type System in the Search box and then click System from the list under Control panel Click System protection in the task pane Under Protection Settings click to select Local Disk (C:) (System) and then click Configure Under Disk Space Usage, move the Max Usage slider to the right to increase the disk space usage for System Restore points Note: If protection is turned on for additional drives you might consider increasing the Max Usage for those drives as well. Back to the top MORE INFORMATIONWhen the issue happens, one or more of the following events might be logged in t...When the issue happens, one or more of the following events might be logged in the Event log: Event ID 25: The shadow copies of volume C: were deleted because the shadow copy storage could not grow in time. Consider reducing the IO load on the system or choose a shadow copy storage volume that is not being shadow copied." Event ID 22: Volume Shadow Copy Service error: A critical component required by the Volume Shadow Copy service is not registered. This might happened if an error occurred during Windows setup or during installation of a Shadow Copy provider. The error returned from CoCreateInstance on class with CLSID {e579ab5f-1cc4-44b4-bed9-de0991ff0623} and Name IVssCoordinatorEx2 is [0x80040154, Class not registered]. Event ID 8193: Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine CoCreateInstance. hr = 0x80040154, Class not registered. To increase the size of shadow storage using command prompt commands follow these steps: Open a command prompt with administrative privileges At the command prompt type Vssadmin list shadowstorage Take note of what the shadow storage allocation is on the drive you're having issues with Change the allocation by using the Vssadmin command, syntax: vssadmin resize shadowstorage /On=C: /For=C: /Maxsize=1G (where Maxsize=the amount of disk space you've allocated to System Restore points, you should increase it larger) Then reboot your computer Restore point deletion can also be caused by the following: Some 3rd party disk applications like Diskeeper can cause restore points to be deleted. To test for this issue disable these types of applications to see if it can resolve the problem. Corrupted ACLs for pagefiles.sys and hiberfil.sys can also cause the issue. To test for this issue, disable pagefile and hiberfil on your system, defrag the drive to verify that these files have been deleted and then enable pagefile and hiberfil. Reboot the computer and create restore points and verify that restore points are not deleted over the next few days. Systems with a dual boot with Windows XP will also cause system restore points to be deleted. See KB 926185 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926185) for more details. Windows <=8 5196 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Remove Programs From The "open With" Menu extensions remove programs Windows XP tries to be helpful. If you open a file with a particular extension using a certain program, it will add that program to the "Open with" right click menu options forever after when you click "Open with." What if you have programs in that menu that you would like to get rid of? Maybe you tried to open a file with the wrong program, and now there it is, stuck in the "Open with" options. Here's how to fix that:<ol><li> <li>First, log on as an administrator and open the registry editor. <li>Back up the registry key you're going to edit, using the Export command in the file menu. <li>Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts This will display a list of all the file extensions that are registered, shown as folders in the left pane. <li>Scroll down and find the file extension that you want to edit. <li>Click the white arrow beside it to expand the subfolders. <li>Select the subfolder labeled OpenWithList <li>In the right pane, you'll see the names of programs in the Data column. Right click the name of the program you want to remove from the list. <li>Click Delete. <li>At the "Are you sure?" prompt, click Yes. </ol> Do this for all programs that you want to remove from the list for this file extension. Close the registry editor. Now the extra programs shouldn't show up when you click the Open With menu. Windows <=8 2072 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Change File Sorting Order Of Numbered Files sort number files If you ever create files with numbers as names, you might have noticed that in Windows XP, Explorer will put a file named 2doc.jpg after one that's named 20doc.jpg. One workaround is to put a zero in front of those one-digit numbers, but another solution is to edit the registry to make the sorting of numbers working as you'd expect it to. Here's how: Open your registry editor and navigate to the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explore Right click in an empty space in the right pane and select New | DWORD value Name the new value NoStrCmpLogical Right click the new item and set its value data to 1 Close the registry editor Windows <=8 1878 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Put The "encrypt" Command On The Right Context Menu encrypt files If you find yourself frequently encrypting files and folders with the Encrypting File System (EFS) on XP Professional, you can make it more convenient by adding the Encrypt/Decrypt command to the right-click shortcut menu. Note that it involves editing the registry, so be sure to back it up first. You'll find the instructions in KB article 241121 at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241121 Windows <=8 1926 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files Where Are My Folders? recycle bin contro; panel QUESTION: I just recently upgraded to Windows 7 and I must say I like it a lot. I never thought I would after trying Vista and going back to XP. But one thing I noticed is that in My Computer (when I open Computer in the Start menu), I don't see the folders for the Recycle Bin and Control Panel over in the left pane like I used to. Have these moved and if so to where? Thanks! - Jen L. ANSWER: You're correct that Windows 7 no longer displays these folders in the "Computer" window by default. However, you can change it back to the old way. Click Tools | Folder Options and on the General tab, down at the bottom in the "Navigation Pane" section, check the box that says "Show all folders." Now those folders should show up in your left pane. Windows <=8 1720 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Make A Program Always Start In Administrator Mode run as administrator privilages There are some programs, especially tools and utilities, that need to run in administrator mode in order to do what they're intended to do. You can navigate to the executable file, right click it and select to run as administrator each time you want to run it, but that's a bit of a hassle. Instead, you can create a shortcut that you can use to open the program in admin mode every time. Here's how: <ul><li> First, make a shortcut on your desktop or in another location. Right click an empty space on the desktop and click New and then Shortcut. <li>In the Create Shortcut wizard, browse to the location of the executable file and click Next. <li>Give the shortcut a name and then click Finish. <li>Now right click the shortcut and select Properties. <li>Click the Advanced button. <li>Check the box that says "Run as administrator" and click OK. Now just double click the shortcut to start the program and it will automatically run in administrator mode. </ul> Windows <=8 2049 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Delete Shadow Copies system restore shadow copies Shadow copies are great - this feature in Windows lets you access previous versions of your files and restore them to an earlier point in time. However, when Windows saves many previous versions, they can begin to take up a lot of space on your disk. This is especially troublesome if you're using a modern faster (but lower capacity) solid state drive (SSD). You can delete shadow copies to free up disk space. Here's how: <ul><li>Click Start and in the search box, type disk cleanup. <li>Click the link that appears in the search results. <li>Click "Files from all users on this computer." <li>Enter admin credentials if prompted to do so. <li>Select the hard drive on which the shadow copies are stored if prompted (this selection will appear only if you have multiple drives). <li>Click the More Options tab. <li>Click System Restore and Shadow Copies, then click OK. <li>Press the Delete key to verify that you want to delete the restore and shadow copies. </ul> If you're really pressed for space and don't want Windows shadow copies: It is not recommended to turn off Volume Shadow Copy. It manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup and other purposes. If this service is stopped, shadow copies will be unavailable for backup and the backup may fail. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. Let us know if there is some issue that you are facing because of Volume Shadow Copy, so that we can help you troubleshoot the issue. However, if you still want to disable Volume shadow copy than follow the steps as below: 1. Click on Start, type services and press enter. 2. Locate the service "Volume Shadow Copy" and right click and click "Stop". 3. Close Services windows. Reference link (Applicable for Windows 7): http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Manage-services-in-Windows-Vista-from-Windows-Vista-Inside-Out Windows <=8 1503 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files Removing Admin Rights Protects Against Most Vulnerabilities administrator privilages According to a study just released by BeyondTrust, which analyzed all new security vulnerabilities published in the 100+ security bulletins Microsoft issued in 2010, simply removing administrative rights from user accounts will mitigate about three fourths of the critical vulnerabilities. Windows <=8 2162 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Disable The Automatic Desktop Cleanup Wizard desktop wizard One of the features that was new to XP was the automatic desktop cleanup wizard. The idea was to track how often you used each of the icons on your desktop, and get rid of those you seldom used, to keep the desktop free of clutter. It might sound like a good idea, but if you don't like the idea of icons disappearing, you can turn the feature off. Here's how:<ul><li> Right click an empty area on the desktop. <li>Click Properties and select Display Properties. <li>Click the Desktop tab. <li>Click Customize Desktop. <li>In the Desktop Items dialog box, clear the checkbox labeled "Run Desktop Wizard every 60 days." <li>Click OK to close the dialog boxes. <li>You can still run the wizard manually whenever you want, by clicking "Clean Desktop Now" in the Desktop Items dialog box. </ul> Windows <=8 2130 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files How To Change The Sort Order Of Files And Folders In Window Apps windows applications sort order The Open and Save dialog boxes in applications such as Notepad, WordPad, etc. display files and folders sorted by name, in ascending order. Folders are on top and then files. Did you know you can change this permanently? Here's how: <ul> <li>Open one of these dialog boxes. <li>Change the sort order (for instance, to display chronologically). <li>Hold down the CTRL key while you close the dialog box by clicking Save or Open, or by clicking the X in the upper right corner. </ul>This causes the new sort order preference to be written to the registry, so that all such dialog boxes for built in Windows applications (not separate applications such as Office) will use it every time. This change will only apply to the logged-on user, not to everyone who uses the computer. Windows <=8 2190 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Files FOLDER PATHS folder paths onedrive dropbox one drive drop box USING steve as a user version 11 C:UserssteveOneDrivewww C:Dropbox 'available to all users Windows <=8 2 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Formatting How To Change The Categories Arrangement In Control Panel classic view control panel Personally, I don't like the Categories view of Control Panel; I always immediately switch back to the "Classic" Control Panel view. But some folks find the categorization useful - yet don't necessarily agree that Microsoft has put everything into the right category. Well, if you're brave enough to venture into the registry, you can actually assign a different category to a Control Panel item. Here's how: In your registry editor, navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Control Panel \ Extended Properties \ {305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2 Now in the right pane, find the item that you want to recategorize. Double click it to bring up its properties box. Change the DWORD value to the number that corresponds to the category where you want to place it. See the list below for the numbers for each category. Other Control Panel Options - 0 Appearance and Themes - 1 Printers and other Hardware - 2 Network and Internet Connections - 3 Sounds, Speed and Audio Devices - 4 Performance and Maintenance - 5 Date, Time, Language and Regional Options - 6 Accessibility Options - 7 Add or Remove Programs - 8 User Accounts - 9 Windows <=8 1601 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Formatting New Theme Changed My Icons themes icons desktop QUESTION: I don't know if there's a way to have what I want but here goes. I had some custom icons on my desktop that I really liked. I changed to a different theme and it changed those icons too. Is there a way to apply the new theme but keep my custom icons? Just curious. - Elton D. ANSWER: Luckily, this is an easy fix. Right click an empty space on the desktop and select Personalize. Over in the left pane of the dialog box, click Change Desktop Icons. Now down at the bottom of that dialog box, uncheck the box that says "Allow themes to change desktop icons." Windows <=8 1765 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Formatting Unable To Change Desktop Background In Windows 7 background wallpaper You want to change your desktop background (wallpaper) to something else. That's simple enough, right? But sometimes you might encounter this situation: when you try to do it through Control Panel (Appearance and Personalization | Change Desktop Background), the check boxes aren't selected when you click them and the Select All and Clear All buttons don't work, either. So you try to right click a picture in Explorer and choose Set as Desktop Background, but you get a message saying the image can't be set as wallpaper because an internal error occurred. What's going on here? Well, there are actually several issues that can cause this problem. You'll find methods for resolving them in KB article 2504610 at http://www.win7news.net/R3JAT1/110217-MS-Support-2504610 Windows <=8 1256 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Function USB Port May Stop Working After You Remove Or Insert A USB Device usb port inactive To fix this problem, use the following methods in the order in which they are listed. After each method, check the USB device to see whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is not fixed, try the next method. This article also includes a workaround that you can try if these methods do not work. Back to the top Method 1: Use Device Manager to scan for hardware changes Use Device Manager to scan for hardware changes. After your computer scans for hardware changes, it might recognize the USB device that is connected to the USB port so that you can use the device. To scan for hardware changes, follow these steps: Click Start, and then click Run. Note If you are running Windows Vista, click Start, and then use the Start Search box. Type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK. Device Manager opens. In Device Manager, click your computer so that it is highlighted. Click Action, and then click Scan for hardware changes. Check the USB device to see whether it is working. If scanning for hardware changes fixed the problem, you are finished. If this method did not fix the problem, go to Method 2. Back to the top Method 2: Restart the computer If scanning for new hardware did not fix the problem, try restarting the computer. After the computer has restarted, check the USB device to see whether it is working. If restarting the computer fixed the problem, you are finished. If this method did not fix the problem, go to Method 3. Back to the top Method 3: Disable and re-enable the USB controller Use Device Manager to disable and re-enable all the USB controllers. This lets the controllers recover the USB port from its unresponsive condition. The USB controllers represent the USB ports in Device Manager. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, try the steps in the "Workaround" section. To disable and re-enable the USB controllers, follow these steps: Click Start, and then click Run. Note If you are running Windows Vista, click Start, and then use the Start Search box. Type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK. Device Manager opens. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Note You might have to scroll down the list to find this item. Right-click the first USB controller under Universal Serial Bus controllers, and then click Uninstall to remove it. Repeat step 4 for each USB controller that is listed under Universal Serial Bus controllers. Restart the computer. After the computer starts, Windows will automatically scan for hardware changes and reinstall all the USB controllers that you uninstalled. Check the USB device to see whether it is working. If the USB port recognizes the device and if you can use the device, you are finished. If this method fixed the problem, you are finished. If this method did not fix the problem, go to the "Workaround" section. Back to the top WorkaroundIf none of these methods worked for you, you can disable the Selective Suspend f...If none of these methods worked for you, you can disable the Selective Suspend feature. However, be aware that when the Selective Suspend feature is disabled, all USB host controller drivers (and therefore all USB ports and connected USB devices) in the system are affected. Therefore, your computer cannot suspend any USB devices that are connected to it, and the USB devices can continue to use power while connected to the computer. Additionally, the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power check box does not appear on the Power Management tab for the USB Root Hub. To have us disable the Selective Suspend feature for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you would rather do this yourself, and you are comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section. Back to the top Fix it for me To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard. Fix this problem Microsoft Fix it 50052 Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows. Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD, and then you can run it on the computer that has the problem. Back to the top Let me fix it myself This section is intended for an advanced computer user. You can disable the USB Selective Suspend feature as a workaround by editing the registry. The USB device may become unresponsive because of a race condition in the Selective Suspend feature. The Selective Suspend feature suspends the USB device to efficiently maintain battery power by enabling the computer to turn off the USB device. However, sometimes this feature may not correctly wake up the USB device. Therefore, the USB device is unresponsive when you try to use it. You might want to disable this feature for server products where power management is not important or required. Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows To disable the Selective Suspend feature, follow these steps: Click Start, and then click Run. Note If you are running Windows Vista, click Start, and then use the Start Search box. Type regedit, and then click OK. Registry Editor opens. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesUSB If the DisableSelectiveSuspend registry entry is present, double-click it. If it is not present, create the entry. To create the entry, follow these steps: On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD. Type DisableSelectiveSuspend, and then press ENTER. On the Edit menu, click Modify. In the Value data field, type 1 to disable the Selective Suspend feature, and then click OK. Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section. Back to the top Did this fix the problem?Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished wi...Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus) . Back to the top CauseThis problem may occur because of a timing issue that prevents the computer from...This problem may occur because of a timing issue that prevents the computer from detecting the USB device. Microsoft and the hardware vendors that manufacture the chips that are used for USB have investigated the problem. However, the results were inconclusive because of the intermittent nature of the problem. Windows <=8 1752 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Hardware Why Bluetooth Mouse Keeps On Disconnecting In Windows 8? Bluetooth mouse disconnect device manager power setting manual automatic When I start win8, my bluetooth mouse works perfectly but after awhile, in stop working. I turn the power of the mouse off and turn it on again to make it work again. But after awhile, it stop working again, so I turn the mouse off and on again to make it work. When the mouse stop working, the light of the mouse is still on therefore I know the mouse is still working but the notebook stops responding to the mouse. The touch pad doesn't have any problem. I don't have this problem in win7. option 1 Check Device Manager and expanded the Bluetooth menu. I right clicked on each item and selected Properties until I found the one that had a Power Management. Mine happened to be Bluetooth Module. Once I got into the Power Management setting I unchecked 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'. Option2: Some exotic things can cause Bluetooth interruption. Check the physical space for any device that puts off a large amount of electromagnetic radiation, such as a big microwave or certain kinds of industrial equipment. These devices actually corrupt the radio waves that Bluetooth devices use to communicate. Battery failure is another common cause of patchy reception. If the batteries are fine, check the power settings as Windows 8 sometimes turns off devices that aren’t in use. The power settings are available from the Settings charm, or by pressing Windows+I. Some devices may simply not have a fix yet and a bit of time and patience may be required while new problems with Windows 8 are discovered and fixed. Tech support should be notified of any devices that do not yet have an available fix, so that Microsoft can begin work on a patch. Calling the device’s manufacturer for a fix may also be necessary, as there are some things Microsoft cannot fix from their end. http://windows7themes.net/fix-windows-8-bluetooth-problems-mouse-disconnects.html Option3: Bluetooth Problem In Windows 8.1 There are unusual Bluetooth problem in windows 8.1. In Windows 8.1 my Bluetooth mouse, keyboard and headphones were already paired but not able to connect. The blue tooth device connect my wireless Bluetooth devices for few Seconds and then disconnect and searching again and again. My Bluetooth device disconnect again and again and Shows a Error “The btvstack could not be started”. So follow below steps to solve this problem. [tested in dell inspiron and working for all dell laptops]. FIX: Bluetooth Not Working In Windows 8.1 Step 1: → Go to RUN (Windows Logo + R) and type “services.msc” and Enter. Step 2: → Now find “Bluetooth Support Service” and double click on it. Step 3: → In General Tab change startup type Manual to Automatic. Step 4: → Now click on Log On Tab and mark on “This Account” and type your account name or browse to find your account name. Step 5: → Now remove both hidden password and restart your PC. Step 6: → Now Re install your Bluetooth drivers. You can download latest Bluetooth drivers from your PC official website. Step 7: → If Bluetooth drivers not compatible with Windows 8.1 then follow simple steps. Step 7a: → Go to RUN(Windows logo + R) and type “regedit” to open registry editor. Step 7b: → In registry editor go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion Step 7c: → In Current Version find Current version and change the value 6.3 to 6.2. → Now check your Bluetooth device, If you have any question about this problem please comment below. http://www.wiknix.com/solved-bluetooth-device-not-working-in-windows-8-1/ Windows <=8 1500 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Hardware Laptop Battery Calibration For Windows: battery calibration Laptop Battery Calibration For Windows: The goal is to run the battery to zero percent, and for the computer to shut off without going to sleep or going into hibernate mode. Unplug your laptop from the wall. Change the “Power Plan†> “On Battery†> "Put the Computer to Sleep" settings to “Never.†If you cannot find these settings you can turn on an internet radio station, and let it play until the computer shuts off. (This is not effective in all versions of Windows) After the computer shuts down, plugging in the AC adapter should be required to turn the machine back on. Once the computer starts a message will appear asking if you would like to start in “Safe Mode.†Restart Windows normally. Leave your computer plugged in and charge it all the way from 0% to 100%. Remember to change your Power Scheme settings back to what they were. <h2 style="color: #001c8a;">Battery Is Not Charging To 100%</h2> <h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><inline style="color: rgb(89, 89, 89); font-size: 18px;">Questions? Call us at 866-514-2590</inline></h2> <br> <p> <inline style="color: #001c8a;"><inline style="font-size: 24px;">Does your original battery discharge correctly, but never recharge toa higher percentage?<b> </b> <br> </inline></inline><o:p></o:p> </p> <p> If your battery will not recharge at all, but will stilldischarge correctly, you are likely experiencing a problem with your chargesystem. Most commonly this means your adapter is beginning to fail, or you havedamaged the power socket on the side of the computer where the charger plugsin. In more rare cases you could have experienced a failure in the chargecircuit on the motherboard. <br><br> <o:p></o:p> </p> <p> <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p> <inline style="color: #001c8a;"><inline style="font-size: 24px;">Does your battery correctly discharge and recharge eventhough it does not reach 100%? <br> </inline></inline><o:p></o:p> </p> <p> If your battery will discharge and recharge, but gets stuckat a percentage less than 100%, you may have a failed cell in your battery, aproblem with your power management settings, or a software calibration issue<br><o:p></o:p></p> <p> <b>Battery Report: </b><br>Windows can generate a “Battery Report†which will show thedesign capacity and the current capacity of your battery. For Apple users, youcan find your battery health statistics in System Settings > Hardware >Power. These two numbers will almost always be slightly different, but you willbe able to see if there is a substantial reduction in capacity. If thedisparity is great enough your computer will recommend that you change thebattery. If the short runtime bothers you a new battery will help. <o:p></o:p> </p> <p> <b>Power Management: </b><br>Some research has shown that the total service life of abattery can be extended by not fully charging and discharging the battery. Insome cases, your laptop will have a power management tool that can be set torestrict the amount of charge the computer gives the battery. If your computeroffers this feature it is a wise idea to make sure the settings have not beenchanged to restrict the charge to a lower percentage. <o:p></o:p> </p> <p> <b>Software Calibration:</b><br>There is also a chance that the computer's battery softwareis no longer correctly calibrated. This can be a result of swapping betweenbatteries often, not rebooting your computer often enough or simply installinga new battery. Sometimes your laptop can have trouble distinguishing between anew replacement battery and the older worn out battery. The new battery usuallyis charging to 100% even though the power gauge software doesn’t correctlyrepresent this. <o:p></o:p> </p> <p> Often with new batteries, the operating system is unable tocorrectly measure the charge in the new battery. Your battery may be fullycharged, but the power gauge is giving you a false reading. This can be becauseof some stored data relating to the former battery. If your laptop battery isnot charging to 100% you may need to calibrate your battery. <br> <o:p></o:p> </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px;"> <span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Laptop Battery Power Cycle:</b><br></span> </p> <ol> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Power down the computer.</span></li> <li>Unplug the wall adapter.</li> <li>Uninstall the battery.</li> <li>Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.</li> <li>Re-install the battery.</li> <li>Plug in the wall adapter.</li> <li>Turn on the computer.</li> </ol> <p> </p> <p> <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p> If the “Power Cycle†did not help, a full “Re-Calibrationâ€Âmight be needed. Below are the directions for calibrating the battery software: <o:p></o:p> </p> <p> <b> Note:</b> If your computer will not recharge the battery at allthis calibration will not help. This process may cause the battery to failpermanently if you are unable to recharge the battery immediately following thedischarge. <br> <o:p></o:p> </p> <p> <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px;"> <b>Laptop Battery Calibration For Windows:<br></b> </p> <ol> <li><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">The goal is to run the battery to zero percent, and for thecomputer to shut off without going to sleep or going into hibernate mode. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Unplug your laptop from the wall.</span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Change the “Power Plan†> “On Battery†> "Put the Computer to Sleep" settings to“Never.†</span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">If you cannot find these settings you can turn on aninternet radio station, and let it play until the computer shuts off. (This isnot effective in all versions of Windows) </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">After the computer shuts down, plugging in the AC adaptershould be required to turn the machine back on. Once the computer starts amessage will appear asking if you would like to start in “Safe Mode.†RestartWindows normally. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Leave your computer plugged in and charge it all the wayfrom 0% to 100%. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Remember to change your Power Scheme settings back to whatthey were. </span></li> </ol> <span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span> <p> </p> <p> <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px;"> <b>Laptop Battery Calibration For Mac:<br></b> </p> <ol> <li><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Charge your battery to the highest percent available.</span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Leave the laptop plugged in for 2 hours after you reach thetopmost charge percentage. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Unplug the AC adapter and use the computer until it forcesthe machine into hibernation mode. </span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Let the computer stay in hibernation mode for 5 hours.</span></li> <li><span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;">Recharge the battery from 0% to 100%.</span></li> </ol> <span style="background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span> <p> </p> <p> <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p> If the re-calibration is performed correctly and does <b>NOT </b>fix the problem a new battery should correct the issue.<br><br> </p> <p> <inline style="color: #001c8a;"><inline style="font-size: 24px;">Does your laptop say its charging to a certain percentagebut turn off as soon as you unplug the AC adapter? <br> </inline></inline><o:p></o:p> </p> <p style="letter-spacing: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </p> <p> If your computer shuts down immediately after unplugging theAC adapter, your battery has failed completely. The most common reason thishappens is that the battery ran out of power completely. If a laptop batteryruns to 0% and does not get recharged right away the computer will not allowthat battery to be used again. Laptop batteries have a computer chip insideeach battery. This chip monitors the battery status and requests a charge fromthe laptop when required. The chip requires a small amount of energy from thebattery to continue functioning. When the battery loses all charge the computercan no longer communicate with the battery, and as a safety precaution, thecomputer will not allow electricity to be sent to the battery. Without thesoftware in the chip to restrict the flow of electricity there would be apotential fire threat, so the laptop refusing to use the battery is a safetyfeature. Unfortunately, this is a non-fixable state, and a new battery is theonly solution.<br><br>If your original battery still charges and discharges but your Xtend replacement battery will not, the new battery may have run to 0% or it may be a defective unit. This may be an indication that you need to replace your AC Adapter. It is more difficult to charge a new battery than it is to charge an older "broken in" battery. If your AC adapter is not outputting the correct amount of power you can run your computer, and charge an old battery, but you may be unable to charge a brand new battery. <br><br>If neither battery will recharge, you are most likely experiencing a failure in the laptop charge system (AC adapter, charge port, or motherboard charge circuit). <br></p> Windows <=8 239 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Keyboard How To Add Google Docs Shortcut To Windows 7 Desktop shortcut google desktop If you're a Google Documents user, you know that it takes several steps to create a new document. However, you can create a shortcut icon or a shortcut key combo in Windows 7 that will let you create a new document in a single click. Here's how: Click an empty space on your Windows 7 desktop. Select New | Shortcut. In the dialog box, type in the following URL: http://docs.google.com/?action=newdoc Assign a shortcut key combination that's not already in use. You can also create shortcuts to create new spreadsheets or presentations, using the following URLs: http://spreadsheets.google.com /ccc?new http://docs.google.com/?action=new_presentation These work for the standard Google Docs service. If you use Google Apps, you'll need to include your domain and you'll probably want to use SSL for security (https). For example: https://docs.google.com/a//?action=newdoc Windows <=8 1214 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Keyboard To View Or To Remove The Read-only Or The System Attributes Of Folders readonly attribute Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER.. To view the syntax for the Attrib command, type attrib /? at the command prompt. To remove the Read-only attribute and to set the System attribute, use the following command: attrib -r +s drive:\`path`\`foldername` For example, to remove the Read-only attribute and to set the System attribute for the C:\Test folder, use the following command: attrib -r +s c:\test Be aware that some programs may not operate correctly with folders for which the System attribute and the Read-only attribute are set. Therefore, use the following command to remove these attributes: attrib -r -s drive:\`path`\`foldername` For example, to remove both the Read-only and the System attributes from the C:\Test folder, use the following command: attrib -r -s c:\test If the Run command is not listed on the Start menu, do the following: Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Run. Windows <=8 1382 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Keyboard Lost My Recycle Bin restore recycle bin QUESTION: Help! My trash can is gone and now I can't take out the trash! Actually I can take it out, I just can't bring it back in. The Recycle Bin disappeared off my XP desktop while we had some company (kids and grandkids) over who were using the computer. I can still delete files by right clicking them and deleting them, but I can't go into the Recycle Bin and undelete a file if I decide I didn't want to get rid of it after all. Can you help? -Lou P. ANSWER: Do you have the TweakUI program installed on the computer? If so, someone might have used it to hide the Recycle Bin. You can use the program to unhide it. If that's not the problem, you can edit the registry to restore the Recycle Bin. Be sure to back up the registry first and be very careful, as a mistake in editing the registry can cause your system to be unstable or unbootable. Here are the steps: 1. Open your favorite Registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion Explorer \ Desktop \ NameSpace 2. Right click the NameSpace key and select New, and then Key. 3. Type {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and press Enter. 4. Click this new key and in the right pane of the registry editor, double click the (Default) entry. 5. In the Edit String dialog box, in the value data field, type: Recycle Bin 6. Click OK 7. Close the registry editor Windows <=8 1432 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Keyboard How To Display Shortcut Key Info Without Pressing ALT Shortcut keys Trying to transition to using keyboard shortcuts more and the mouse less? It will definitely speed up your work once you learn them, but until you do, it can be a bit of a hassle. When you open a menu, you can press the ALT key to see what the shortcut letter is for various actions, but what if you'd like that information to be displayed automatically, without having to press ALT? It's easy to change that behavior: 1. Click Start and Control Panel. 2. Click Display. 3. Click the Appearance tab. 4. Click Effects. 5. Uncheck the box that says "Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key." 6 . Click OK t wice to exit the dialog boxes. Windows <=8 1582 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Network How To Link Your Windows 7 User Account With Your Windows Live ID file sharing network You can make your various Windows 7 computers (such as a desktop and a laptop) work better together by linking them all to your Windows Live ID. Here's how you do it: On each Windows 7 computer, click Start | Control Panel Click the User Accounts applet In the left pane, click "Link online IDs" Click "Add on online ID provider" at the bottom of the page In the web page that opens in your web browser, select the "Windows Live" logo In the new web page that opens, download and install the Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant Back in the Control Panel | User Accounts | Link Online IDs dialog box, click "Add linked ID" and provide your logon credentials in the box that appears Click the "Sign in" button This will allow others in a homegroup to share files with you, without creating a user account for you on their computers, and it will enable you to use the online ID to access files on your computer from another computer. Windows <=8 1611 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Network How Do I Add My XP Computer To A Windows 7 Homegroup? homegroup network QUESTION: I have two Windows 7 computers, a desktop and a laptop, that belong to our home network. We used the Homegroup wizard to set it up. We want to add my wife's old XP laptop to the network but can't figure out how. Can you help? - Todd L. ANSWER: The homegroup is a new feature in Windows 7 designed to make it easy to share information on a home network. However, only computers running Windows 7 can join a homegroup. If you want to join XP (or Vista) computers to the network, you'll need to create a workgroup instead. All the computers on the network will need to have the same workgroup name configured so they can "find" each other. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/sharing-files-and-printers-with-different-versions-of-windows This step by step tutorial shows you how to set up a home network and join Windows 7, Vista and XP computers to it. Prepare your computers that are running Windows XP Follow these steps on each of your computers running Windows XP. Top of page1. Run the Network Setup Wizard 1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet Connections. 2.Click Network Setup Wizard, and then follow the instructions on your screen. 3.On the Name your network page, type the same workgroup name used by your other computers. 4.On the File and printer sharing page, select Turn on file and printer sharing. Note If your network includes computers running Windows XP, it’s important to use the same workgroup name for all of the computers on your network. This makes it possible for computers running different versions of Windows to detect and access each other. Remember that the default workgroup name is not the same in all versions of Windows. Top of page2. Specify what you want to share 1.Right-click the folder that you want to share, and then click Sharing and Security. 2.If you are sharing a drive, on the Sharing tab, click If you understand the risk but still want to share the root of the drive, click here. 3.Select the Share this folder on the network check box. Note To share individual files in Windows XP, either put them in a folder and share the folder, or share them using the Public folder. Windows <=8 2083 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Network Access Skydrive Like You Would A Hard Drive skydrive sky drive map network cid windows live account Windows 7 may differ the Windows 8 procedure. Log in to your skydrive account to get your cid: First you need to get your cid= number after logging into your Microsoft Skydrive account using your browser. It will have a format like https://skydrive.live.com/?mkt=en-US&v=FirstRunView#cid=8aca12345b98765. Yours may be slightly different since this was the first time I logged in to my account, but the number at the end. This is the url to map: https://d.docs.live.net/8aca12345b98765/ Open Windows File Explorer Highlight the word "Computer" on the left hand side. The network drive Icon will appear at the top middle. Click it. Use one of the higher drive letters and copy and past the new url into the folder box. Then save. Windows will try to connect if it can and prompt you for your windows live account user name and password Now you can copy and save files to your new drive. Just remember the files will only write and read based on your internet connection and speed. Similar to windows 8 http://rashedtalukder.com/how-to-map-skydrive-folder-on-windows-rt-desktop-mode/ Windows <=8 1136 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Security The One Security Tool Every Windows User Should Know About tools applications http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/the-one-security-tool-every-windows-user-should-know-about/2848?pg=1 new zero-day security hole in all versions of Windows is the subject of targeted attacksMicrosoft says. The flaw, according to Microsoft Security Advisory 2488013, occurs when an attacker exploits the creation of uninitialized memory during a CSS function within Internet Explorer. The result? It is possible under certain conditions for the memory to be leveraged by an attacker using a specially crafted Web page to gain remote code execution. Similar holes have been spotted in the past in applications such as Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, and Apples QuickTime. The definitive fix for a vulnerability like this is a vendor-supplied patch. But what do you do while youre waiting for the patch? And how do you deal with vulnerabilities in legacy applications that cant be easily repaired? Thats the goal of Microsofts Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), a simple but powerful configuration utility that allows you to harden applications that werent originally designed to take advantage of Windows security features. EMET version 2 was released a few months ago and runs on all currently supported Windows client and server editions, including Windows 7, Windows Vista (Service Pack 1 or later), Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 (Service Pack 1 or later). Although its possible to configure some of these settings in other ways, EMET offers a straightforward, clean interface that works identically across multiple Windows versions. Its not a magic bullet, but it is an extremely potent addition to a thorough, in-depth approach to Windows security. EMET gives you more granular control over Data Execution Prevention (DEP), a security feature that has been a part of Windows since XP Service Pack 2. Hardware-enforced DEP blocks the execution of code in memory locations that should contain only data, such as the stack or the heap, preventing a common form of exploit. Using EMET, you can turn on DEP for applications that were not originally compiled to be compatible with the feature. (For more on how DEP works, see the two-part Understanding DEP as a mitigation technology series on the Microsoft Security Research & Defense blog: Part 1, Part 2). You can also use EMET to overcome a limitation of Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). This feature is designed to prevent attackers from jumping to predictable memory addresses to exploit vulnerabilities in code. The problem with ASLR is that it works on a per-process basis; dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) associated with that process can still be located at predictable addresses, where vulnerabilities can be exploited. Thats the attack vector used in the unpatched zero-day vulnerability I mention at the beginning of this post. EMET supports mandatory ASLR, which forces the relocation of DLLs associated with a process and thus blocks this entire class of exploits. Other features in EMET mitigate against common tricks that hackers use to exploit flaws in code, by blocking common heap spraying techniques and validating exceptions before calling an exception handler. The EMET documentation acknowledges that these are stopgap fixes: Please note this is a pseudo mitigation designed to break current exploit techniques. It is not designed to break future exploits as well. As exploit techniques continue to evolve, so will EMET. In fact, thats one of the promises of EMET. It exists outside the Windows code base, so it can be updated more aggressively. As the official users guide explains: EMET is a living tool designed to be updated as new mitigation technologies become available. This provides a chance for users to try out and benefit from cutting edge mitigations. The release cycle for EMET is also not tied to any product. EMET updates can be made dynamically as soon as new mitigations are ready. EMET is distributed as a very small (4.7MB) installer and can be downloaded here. On the next page, I walk you through some of the basics of installation and setup. Installing Microsofts Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) is straightforward for individual Windows PCs, although Microsoft acknowledges that the current version is not convenient to deploy in an enterprise setting. On Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, you must first ensure that the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is installed. There are no prerequisites for other supported Windows versions. For a step-by-step illustrated walkthrough, see the accompanying image gallery. After downloading the installer package, log on using an administrator account and run EMET Setup.msi. A restart is not required. Then open the EMET application using its Start menu shortcut. The EMET interface is divided into two parts. The top shows the system status; the bottom shows a list of running processes and whether they are currently running with EMET enabled. You can use EMET to adjust systemwide security settings. Click Configure System to display the dialog box shown here. You can configure any of the three settings individually or use the drop-down menu at the top to apply preconfigured groups of settings. Although it sounds tempting, I dont recommend the Maximum Security Settings option for Windows 7. Thats especially true in a business setting, where compatibility issues can have financial consequences. For Windows XP, however, this option does make sense. Your XP options are more limited, because XP doesnt support SEHOP or ASLR. Enabling DEP universally on XP is a smart idea. Most zero-day threats attack commonly used Internet-facing applications, such as Internet Explorer add-ons, Adobe Acrobat and Reader, Apple QuickTime, and so on. To tighten security on one of these individual programs, click Configure Apps. Click Add and then browse to the location of the executable file associated with that program. For the default 32-bit versions of Internet Explorer, this is C:Program FilesInternet ExplorerIexplore.exe [on 64-bit Windows installations, this file is in the Program Files (x86) folder]. For Adobe Reader, start in Program Files [or Program Files (x86) on a 64-bit Windows system]; the executable file, AcroRd32.exe, is typically in the AdobeReader subfolder (this folder name might include a version number as well). After you add an executable file, it appears in the Application Configuration dialog box, shown here, where you can enable or disable specific mitigations. By default, all options for a given process are selected. To view the security status of programs, open the main EMET UI and look in the Running Processes list. If youve just added a program, you might have to close and restart it, then click the Refresh button to the right of the Running Processes heading. Click the Running EMET heading to sort the list so that all EMET-enabled apps are grouped together. Im interested in hearing feedback from readers who use EMET? Have you noticed specific compatibility issues? Have you checked specific exploits with and without EMET enabled? Leave your comments in the Talkback section or send me an e-mail using the Contact link in my bio, at the bottom of this post. Windows <=8 1638 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Security How To Change The Wireless Network Priority wireless network wi-fi Many folks these days have more than one wi-fi network set up. You might have one that's connected to your Ethernet network and another that's entirely separate. That way, guests, the kids or others who don't need access to the wired network can connect to the second wi-fi network, which allows them to access the Internet. Your Windows 7 based wireless laptop will try to connect to those networks in the order in which they appear in its list of networks - which might or might not be the priority you prefer. The good news is that you can change the order of the wireless networks in your computer's wi-fi properties. Here's how: Click Start | Control Panel Click Network and Sharing Center In the left pane, click Manage Wireless Networks In the list of wi-fi networks, right click the one that you want Windows to try first, and select Move Up Move it up to the top of the list Click OK to close the dialog box Now Windows will try your top priority network first, which should make connection a tad faster. Windows <=8 1437 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Server Event Viewer events log In Windows XP, an event is any significant occurrence in the system or in a program that requires users to be notified, or an entry added to a log. The Event Log Service records application, security, and system events in Event Viewer. With the event logs in Event Viewer, you can obtain information about your hardware, software, and system components, and monitor security events on a local or remote computer. Event logs can help you identify and diagnose the source of current system problems, or help you predict potential system problems. <h4 id="tocHeadRef">Event Log Types</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>A Windows XP-based computer records events in the following three logs: <ul><li>Application log <br /><br />The application log contains events logged by programs. For example, a database program may record a file error in the application log. Events that are written to the application log are determined by the developers of the software program. </li><li>Security log <br /><br />The security log records events such as valid and invalid logon attempts, as well as events related to resource use, such as the creating, opening, or deleting of files. For example, when logon auditing is enabled, an event is recorded in the security log each time a user attempts to log on to the computer. You must be logged on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group in order to turn on, use, and specify which events are recorded in the security log. </li><li>System log <br /><br />The system log contains events logged by Windows XP system components. For example, if a driver fails to load during startup, an event is recorded in the system log. Windows XP predetermines the events that are logged by system components. </li></ul><div class="topOfPage"></div><h3 id="tocHeadRef">How to View Event Logs</h3><script type="text/javascript"></script>To open Event Viewer, follow these steps: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, and then click <b>Control Panel</b>. Click <strong class="uiterm">Performance and Maintenance</strong>, then click <b>Administrative Tools</b>, and then double-click <b>Computer Management</b>. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in. </li><li>In the console tree, click <b>Event Viewer</b>. <br /><br />The Application, Security, and System logs are displayed in the Event Viewer window.</li></ol><div class="topOfPage"></div><h3 id="tocHeadRef">How to View Event Details</h3><script type="text/javascript"></script>To view the details of an event, follow these steps: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, and then click <b>Control Panel</b>. Click <strong class="uiterm">Performance and Maintenance</strong>, then click <b>Administrative Tools</b>, and then double-click <b>Computer Management</b>. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in. </li><li>In the console tree, expand <b>Event Viewer</b>, and then click the log that contains the event that you want to view. </li><li>In the details pane, double-click the event that you want to view. <br /><br />The <b>Event Properties</b> dialog box containing header information and a description of the event is displayed. <br /><br />To copy the details of the event, click the <b>Copy</b> button, then open a new document in the program in which you want to paste the event (for example, Microsoft Word), and then click <b>Paste</b> on the <b>Edit</b> menu. <br /><br />To view the description of the previous or next event, click the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW. </li></ol><div class="topOfPage"></div><h3 id="tocHeadRef">How to Interpret an Event</h3><script type="text/javascript"></script>Each log entry is classified by type, and contains header information, and a description of the event. <h4 id="tocHeadRef">Event Header</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>The event header contains the following information about the event: <ul><li>Date <br /><br />The date the event occurred. </li><li>Time <br /><br />The time the event occurred. </li><li>User <br /><br />The user name of the user that was logged on when the event occurred. </li><li>Computer <br /><br />The name of the computer where the event occurred. </li><li>Event ID <br /><br />An event number that identifies the event type. The Event ID can be used by product support representatives to help understand what occurred in the system. </li><li>Source <br /><br />The source of the event. This can be the name of a program, a system component, or an individual component of a large program. </li><li>Type <br /><br />The type of event. This can be one of the following five types: Error, Warning, Information, Success Audit, or Failure Audit. </li><li>Category <br /><br />A classification of the event by the event source. This is primarily used in the security log.</li></ul><h4 id="tocHeadRef">Event Types</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>The description of each event that is logged depends on the type of event. Each event in a log can be classified into one of the following types: <ul><li>Information <br /><br />An event that describes the successful operation of a task, such as an application, driver, or service. For example, an Information event is logged when a network driver loads successfully. </li><li>Warning <br /><br />An event that is not necessarily significant, however, may indicate the possible occurrence of a future problem. For example, a Warning message is logged when disk space starts to run low. </li><li>Error <br /><br />An event that describes a significant problem, such as the failure of a critical task. Error events may involve data loss or loss of functionality. For example, an Error event is logged if a service fails to load during startup. </li><li>Success Audit (Security log) <br /><br />An event that describes the successful completion of an audited security event. For example, a Success Audit event is logged when a user logs on to the computer. </li><li>Failure Audit (Security log) <br /><br />An event that describes an audited security event that did not complete successfully. For example, a Failure Audit may be logged when a user cannot access a network drive. </li></ul><div class="topOfPage"></div><h3 id="tocHeadRef">How to Find Events in a Log</h3><script type="text/javascript"></script>The default view of event logs is to list all its entries. If you want to find a specific event, or view a subset of events, you can either search the log, or you can apply a filter to the log data. <h4 id="tocHeadRef">How to Search for a Specific Log Event</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>To search for a specific log event, follow these steps: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, and then click <b>Control Panel</b>. Click <strong class="uiterm">Performance and Maintenance</strong>, then click <b>Administrative Tools</b>, and then double-click <b>Computer Management</b>. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in. </li><li>In the console tree, expand <b>Event Viewer</b>, and then click the log that contains the event that you want to view. </li><li>On the <b>View</b> menu, click <b>Find</b>. </li><li>Specify the options for the event that you want to view in the <b>Find</b> dialog box, and then click <b>Find Next</b>.</li></ol>The event that matches your search criteria is highlighted in the details pane. Click <b>Find Next</b> to locate the next occurrence of an event as defined by your search criteria. <h4 id="tocHeadRef">How to Filter Log Events</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>To filter log events, follow these steps: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, and then click <b>Control Panel</b>. Click <strong class="uiterm">Performance and Maintenance</strong>, then click <b>Administrative Tools</b>, and then double-click <b>Computer Management</b>. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in. </li><li>In the console tree, expand <b>Event Viewer</b>, and then click the log that contains the event that you want to view. </li><li>On the <b>View</b> menu, click <b>Filter</b>. </li><li>Click the <b>Filter</b> tab (if it is not already selected). </li><li>Specify the filter options that you want, and then click <b>OK</b>.</li></ol>Only events that match your filter criteria are displayed in the details pane. <br /><br />To return the view to display all log entries, click <b>Filter</b> on the <b>View</b> menu, and then click <b>Restore Defaults</b>. <div class="topOfPage"></div><h3 id="tocHeadRef">How to Manage Log Contents</h3><script type="text/javascript"></script>By default, the initial maximum of size of a log is set to 512 KB, and when this size is reached, new events overwrite older events as needed. Depending on your requirements, you can change these settings, or clear a log of its contents. <h4 id="tocHeadRef">How to Set Log Size and Overwrite Options</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>To specify log size and overwrite options, follow these steps: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, and then click <b>Control Panel</b>. Click <strong class="uiterm">Performance and Maintenance</strong>, then click <b>Administrative Tools</b>, and then double-click <b>Computer Management</b>. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in. </li><li>In the console tree, expand <b>Event Viewer</b>, and then right-click the log in which you want to set size and overwrite options. </li><li>Under <strong class="uiterm">Log size</strong>, type the size that you want in the <strong class="uiterm">Maximum log size</strong> box. </li><li>Under <strong class="uiterm">When maximum log size is reached</strong>, click the overwrite option that you want. </li><li>If you want to clear the log contents, click <b>Clear Log</b>. </li><li>Click <b>OK</b>.</li></ol><h4 id="tocHeadRef">How to Archive a Log</h4><script type="text/javascript"></script>If you want to save your log data, you can archive event logs in any of the following formats: <ul><li>Log-file format (.evt) </li><li>Text-file format (.txt) </li><li>Comma-delimited text-file format (.csv) </li></ul>To archive a log, follow these steps: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, and then click <b>Control Panel</b>. Click <strong class="uiterm">Performance and Maintenance</strong>, then click <b>Administrative Tools</b>, and then double-click <b>Computer Management</b>. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in. </li><li>In the console tree, expand <b>Event Viewer</b>, and then right-click the log in which you want to archive, and then click <strong class="uiterm">Save Log File As</strong>. </li><li>Specify a file name and location where you want to save the file. In the <strong class="uiterm">Save as type</strong> box, click the format that you want, and then click <b>Save</b>.</li></ol>The log file is saved in the format that you specified. Windows <=8 1914 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Server How To Create A New Network Place network To create a new network place, you must have the necessary permissions to access the network resource. To create a new network place: <ol><li>Click <b>Start</b>, click <b>Control Panel</b>, and then click <strong class="uiterm">Network and Internet Connections</strong>. </li><li>Under <b>See Also</b>, click <b>My Network Places</b>. </li><li>Click <strong class="uiterm">Add a network place</strong>. The Add Network Place Wizard starts. </li><li>Click <b>Next</b> to continue. </li><li>Click <strong class="uiterm">Choose another network location</strong>, and then click <b>Next</b>. </li><li>In the <strong class="uiterm">Internet or network address</strong> box, type the name of the network share that you want to use, or click <b>Browse</b> to locate the network share that you want.<br /><br />For example, use one of the following methods (where <var>Servername</var> is the name of the remote server and <var>Sharename</var> is the name of the shared network resource): <ul><li>Type a network address by using the following format: <div class="indent"><b>\\<var>Servername</var>\<var>Sharename</var></b></div></li><li>Type an Internet address by using the following format: <div class="indent"><b>http://<var>Servername</var>/<var>Sharename</var></b></div></li><li>Type a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site by using the following format: <div class="indent"><b>ftp://ftp.<var>domain</var>.com</b></div></li></ul></li><li>Click <b>Next</b>. </li><li>In the <strong class="uiterm">Type a name for this network place</strong> box, type the name that you want, and then click <b>Next</b>. </li><li>Click <b>Finish</b>.</li></ol><br /><div class="topOfPage"></div><h3 id="tocHeadRef">How to Remove a Network Place</h3><script type="text/javascript"></script>To remove a network place: <ol><li>Open My Network Places. To do this: <ol><li type="a">Click <b>Start</b>, click <b>Control Panel</b>, and then click <strong class="uiterm">Network and Internet Connections</strong>. </li><li type="a">Under <b>See Also</b>, click <b>My Network Places</b>.</li></ol></li><li>Right-click the network place that you want to delete, and then click <b>Delete</b>. </li><li>When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click <b>Yes</b>. The connection to the shared network resource is removed. Note that this does not remove the files in the remote folder.</li></ol><br /><div class="topOfPage"></div> Windows <=8 1415 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Server How To Shut Down All Running Programs With One Click shutdown applications programs When you shut down or restart Windows 7, it sometimes spends a bit of time waiting for open programs to close. You can select to force close the programs, but then Windows immediately restarts or shuts down. What if you want to close all your running programs without shutting down? Here's how you can create a shortcut to do just that: Right click an empty spot on your desktop and click New, then Shortcut. In the "Type the location of the item" box in the Create Shortcut wizard, type the following: taskill /F /FI "USERNAME eq " /FI "IMAGENAME ne explorer.exe" /FI "IMAGENAME ne dwm.exe" Click Next. Type a name for the shortcut, such as KillAll Click Finish Right click the shortcut, click the Shortcut tab and click the Change Icon button Select an icon that you want to represent the shortcut, and click OK twice to close the dialog boxes You can drag the shortcut to the taskbar so it will be visible when many windows are open Now you can kill all running programs with the exception of Explorer.exe and the Desktop Window Manager (so you'll still have the taskbar and shell). Note that when you use this "nuclear option," programs you have open will shut down immediately without saving your work, so use it with caution. Windows <=8 1937 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Server Services That Can Be Killed administration speed up <p>Turning off unnecessary services in Windows XP can greatly reduce your exploit risk, while improving system performance. It's a good time to inject that often there are all sorts of "download optimizers" and other cute programs that vendors like to push on users. Most of the time, installing such things slows your computer down at best. It could subject you to potential security risks. The first rule is "If you don't know you need it, you probably don't." <p>Unnecessary services don't just subject you to security risk. They also slow down the operation of your computer. So, don't get lazy here and think you can just deal with the infections later. Go ahead and turn that junk off and recapture your system from these resource hogs. You get to services by going to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, then Services. You should see a long list of services, some running and some dormant. Use this checklist to help determine which services you can live without. <p>If you don't know how to find Windows Services in Windows XP, click on Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Services. Below is a simple step by step to finding and changing your services on Windows XP. Keep in mind that your view settings may make your's appear slightly different, but will be the same basic path. <p>Windows XP Pro (and Home); Stuff to turn off: Each service is listed as it is in Microsoft's WIndows XP Professional. These should be similar in Microsoft's XP Home as well. Under each is the definition given in the Services Manager. <p>Alerter Notifies selected users and computers of administrative alerts. If the service is stopped, programs that use administrative alerts will not receive them. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: I don't want my personal computer telling me anything, ever. Shut up and work! There's few things I find more annoying than a computer constantly wanting to interact with me while I'm using it to do work or entertain myself. A computer is a tool, not a friend or work companion. No Hal, I don't want to talk to you. Perhaps there's a software vendor that can give you a compelling reason why you need this service, but for most home and SOHO PC use it's just an unnecessary service taking up resources and providing risk. Unless you are running a product that requires this service, disable it. <p>Updated comment: Someone emailed me to say that if you're on a network where you are required to update your password periodically, failing to do so will generate a notice [if] you have this service enabled. If not, then obviously, your annoying local network won't warn you that you need to change your password and thus you'll get locked out. I've not tested this. But, if you have such a service on your network, you should refer to other admonitions in this article and leave managing your desktop to your IT staff(er). If you're a home network or don't know, read the paragraph above and use personal judgment. <p>Application Layer Gateway Service <p>Provides support for 3rd party protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall <p>Comment: Do you want to share your internet connection? That's an article waiting to be written. Let me be clear. Since you can buy a router for $50 or less, and Windows does an awful job routing, using a computer to gateway your other computers to the internet is just stupid. "What about firewalling and admission control?" Well, that's not going to be done through the built-in internet sharing tools. So, we''re not talking about that. If you use a personal computer to gateway your other computers to the internet (and calling it a server doesn't change the reality), you are wasting resources. Buy a $50 router, or a $1000 router for that matter. But, buy a discrete device that is designed to do the job. Use hardware based firewalling (OK, it's all based on software - but I mean a boxed solution, not software installed on a PC that's prone to lose autonomy). And, what about all those cute third-party firewalling tools that plug in to this thing? Man, give me a break. If it runs on top of your Windows installation, it's not a real firewall. Unless this is required by a product you think is necessary, disable it. <p>Automatic Updates <p>Enables the download and installation of critical Windows updates. If the service is disabled, the operating system can be manually updated. <p>Comment: There's only two options that may make sense with this service. You should either set it to disable or manual. I'd disable it. Automatic Updates is designed as a tool to aid Microsoft in controlling their product. Props to Microsoft for trying to protect their product from piracy. But, some updates have been known to cause problems. Use it when you need it, and disable it when you don't, unless you're too lazy to do updates on your own. Don't you wonder why all the computers in big, well managed networks don't run Automatic Updates? It's mostly because managers of big networks create their own update policies. If you more completely understand the thinking that goes into deciding whether or not to distribute an update, you could better administer your own PC. Either turn it on and assume the risk, or turn it off and regularly visit Mircosoft's update and news page (discussed more below). <p>Background Intelligent Transfer Service <p>Uses idle network bandwidth to transfer data. <p>Comment: This is one of those tools they require you turn on to enable Automatic Updates. Think about it. It connects your PC to the internet or network and works behind your back to do stuff you didn't explicitly tell it to do. It sounds like a great tool to help hackers collect data from your PC and slowly seep it back to their lair. Unless it's immediately required, disable it. It you use it and then go for some time with no need to use it, disable it. If you can't remember to keep your PC updated with the latest security fixes, you'll need it. <p>ClipBook <p>Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information and share it with remote computers. If the service is stopped, ClipBook Viewer will not be able to share information with remote computers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: So, you want to copy stuff to your clipbook and allow remote computers to access it? I don't. There may be a software vendor that requires this service to run. I've yet to find it useful. I suggest you disable it. <p>Computer Browser <p>Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. Comment: If you are on a network with other computers, and need to see them, this may be a useful tool. Otherwise, disable it. <p>Cryptographic Services <p>Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. If this service is stopped, these management services will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: It is very necessary if you are passing certificates for networking. Unless you are in a large corporate network where connections are managed through authentication, this is unnecessary; disable it. <p>Distributed Transaction Coordinator <p>Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems. If this service is stopped, these transactions will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Extremely few personal computers will require this service. If you use it, you may want to review the reasons it is being used. Unless you are accessing network filesystems and databases, disable it. <p>DNS Client <p>Resolves and caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: It's typically good to leave this on. <p>Error Reporting Service <p>Allows error reporting for services and applications running in non-standard environments. Comment: Erorr reporting is very useful, if you know what to do with the errors or you are running software that adjusts based on error reporting. This is that annoying "feature" in Windows that constantly pops up wanting to ship information about your software failures to Redmond. People promise me it helps find problems and solutions. I've mostly seen problem reports that you could as easily search out yourself. If you're advanced enough to use this, you'll likely use a search engine just as well. Chances are, the best thing for you to do is disable it. <p>Help and Support <p>Enables Help and Support Center to run on this computer. If this service is stopped, Help and Support Center will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: I don't find this service useful, other than sucking up resources. If you know how to use Google, I'd disable it. <p>Human Interface Device Access <p>Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices (HID), which activates and maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on keyboards, remote controls, and other multimedia devices. If this service is stopped, hot buttons controlled by this service will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Whether or not you should disable this service, depends on other services you need. If you don't know, turn it off and see if it breaks anything. It says that it deals with hotkeys, however all the system hotkeys that most of us enjoy aren't controlled by this service, they are built into the core OS. Control C, for example, to copy and Control V to past, do not stop working when you turn this service off. It seems this has more to do with specific hotkeys that a software vendor may want to insert into their installed program or internet product. Until you see a reason for it, I'd turn this one off. Personally, I consider relying on such services to be lazy programming. But, there may be good reason for using it if it's more efficient. <p>Indexing Service <p>Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language. <p>Comment: To date, nobody has shown me real system performance improvements with this technology. Keep in mind, I'm limited in this conversation to Windows. Indexing is very useful. Indexing databases is very useful. Indexing your computer isn't very useful at all. Typically, if you are on a network, you know where on a network to find your chosen data. If you are not on a network, there's no real performance enhancement to this service that justifies the complexity and resource use. Chances are good you should disable it. <p>IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service <p>Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface (IMAPI). If this service is stopped, this computer will be unable to record CDs. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Obviously, there may be some usefulness leaving this service as manual, if you have a CD burner installed. If you don't, disable it. <p>Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) <p>Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office network. Comment: This tool does a great job of complicating my internet connection and slowing down transactions. It's not likely this tool is sophisticated enough to make a major impact in your system's performance. You should disable it. <p>Messenger <p>Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This service is not related to Windows Messenger. If this service is stopped, Alerter messages will not be transmitted. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Turn this thing off! It's a simple kit for anybody that can connect via any network to your computer to access your system and do things you don't want them to. Disable it. <p>Net Logon <p>Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain. <p>Comment: Unless you need this to operate inside a domain, it's likely not necessary or useful. If you are using a home or SOHO PC and don't have a local domain based network, disable it. <p>NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing <p>Enables an authorized user to access this computer remotely by using NetMeeting over a corporate intranet. If this service is stopped, remote desktop sharing will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Do you really want a built in tool to share control of your desktop over your network connection? There are better tools for doing this kind of work, if needed. If someone you buy software from insists you let them use this tool to help you install it one time, then enable it and disable it immediately afterward. For typical use, you should disable it. <p>Remote Desktop Help Session Manager <p>Manages and controls Remote Assistance. If this service is stopped, Remote Assistance will be unavailable. Before stopping this service, see the Dependencies tab of the Properties dialog box. <p>Comment: Refer to NetMeeting. If you don't want to share control of your computer through your network, disable it. <p>Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator <p>Manages the RPC name service database. <p>Comment: There are some network programs and protocols that require this to be turned on. Chances are you could just turn it off and see if you break anything. If you are using a single PC in your home or SOHO, it's likely just a security risk. If you don't know you need it, disable it. <p>Remote Registry <p>Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer. If this service is stopped, the registry can be modified only by users on this computer. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Seems self-explanatory. You can enable this service to help remote people or programs change your registry. Great hacker tool if you can't secure it. Disable it. <p>System Restore Service <p>Performs system restore functions. To stop service, turn off System Restore from the System Restore tab in My Computer->Properties <p>Comment: This is almost useless if you ever have a problem with damaged drives, corrupted data, or malware. It uses a lot of resources and isn't useful for most people. You can turn it on before you install a big piece of software. This service allows you to backup to a previous system should you mess your's up with an installation of software or a modification to your system settings, usually registry damage. To improve system performance and take the minor risk of not being able to make your computer work like it did yesterday, disable it. <p>TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper <p>Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution. <p>Comment: Very few people use NetBIOS at home. This is the Windows built-in protocol for simple networking. You may need it. Otherwise, disable it. <p>Telephony <p>Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP based voice connections on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service. <p>Comment: If you use telephony, you probably use discrete devices or proprietary services that don't rely on this service. However, you do need this servive if you use a modem to connect to the ineternet. It's required by all sorts of hardware you wouldn't think require it, including accessing the internet via 3G telephones as tethered modems. Set this service to automatic to be safe. <p>Telnet <p>Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs, and supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based and Windows-based computers. If this service is stopped, remote user access to programs might be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: There's just not a circumstance where I can imagine that turning this service on is a good idea. Unless you need to let people telnet into your computer and have a really good reason for doing so, disable it. <p>Terminal Services <p>Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server. <p>Comment: As I've said above, there's better tools for remote desktop administration. The idea of Terminal Services is to allow remote desktop administration of a system, like the user was on the actual console. In almost all circumstances you should disable it. <p>Themes <p>Provides user experience theme management. Comment: Themes are cute and bloated. Enabling themes is not a good way to increase performance, but you may think it's neat. If you aren't addicted to cute desktop eye candy, disable it. <p>Uninterruptible Power Supply <p>Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer. <p>Comment: Unless you are using a UPS on your computer and it has the capability of managing the system, disable it. <p>Upload Manager <p>Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network. If this service is stopped, synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: If you are not in a local network sharing data (files and/or services), disable it. <p>Windows Time <p>Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: Sometimes it works. Unless you are really needing your time to sync to something running a Windows time server, disable it. <p>Wireless Zero Configuration <p>Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters <p>Comment: Unless you use 802.11 devices, disable it. <p>Workstation <p>Creates and maintains client network connections to remote servers. If this service is stopped, these connections will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. <p>Comment: If you are not in a local network sharing data (files and/or services), disable it. <p>If you turn off all the services suggested above and try to use Automatic Updates via WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com, you will likely see a message something like this: <p>Windows Update cannot continue because a required service application is disabled. Windows Update requires the following services: <p>"Automatic Updates enables detection, downloading, and installation of critical updates for your computer. <p>Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) enables faster, restartable downloading of updates. <p>Event Log logs Windows Update events for troubleshooting. To ensure that these services are enabled:" <p>It's easy to just go back to Services, and turn these services on as you need them. An operating system shouldn't need daily updates to run. And, the more services you run, the more likely you are to need updates. See a circle here? Occasionally, a little laziness won't kill you. Though you could just go to Technet (Microsoft's only support for IT professionals) and get all your news and update files with descriptions of their efficacy and safety, you may occasionally just want to veg out and let Microsoft do the work for you. You should still read each update and decide for yourself whether it makes sense. Some of them are flat out bad news. But, turning up these services for a few minutes to run Automatic Updates may be a shortcut to periodic updates. <p>So, let's look at the services they want you to turn on. <p>Automatic Updates Background Intelligent Transfer Service Event Log <p>I haven't a clue why you need Background Intelligent Transfer Services to run so you can go to a website, download, and install service packs. But, you can turn it, and the others, on and then turn it back off when you are done. It's just three services. <p>If you turn off all the services suggested above and try to use Automatic Updates via WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com, you will likely see a message something like this: <p>Windows Update cannot continue because a required service application is disabled. Windows Update requires the following services: Automatic Updates enables detection, downloading, and installation of critical updates for your computer. <p>Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) enables faster, restartable downloading of updates. <p>Event Log logs Windows Update events for troubleshooting. To ensure that these services are enabled: <p>It's easy to just go back to Services, and turn these services on as you need them. An operating system shouldn't need daily updates to run. And, the more services you run, the more likely you are to need updates. See a circle here? Occasionally, a little laziness won't kill you. Though you could just go to Technet (Microsoft's only support for IT professionals) and get all your news and update files with descriptions of their efficacy and safety, you may occasionally just want to veg out and let Microsoft do the work for you. You should still read each update and decide for yourself whether it makes sense. Some of them are flat out bad news. But, turning up these services for a few minutes to run Automatic Updates may be a shortcut to periodic updates. <p>So, let's look at the services they want you to turn on. <p>Automatic Updates Background Intelligent Transfer Service Event Log <p>I haven't a clue why you need Background Intelligent Transfer Services to run so you can go to a website, download, and install service packs. But, you can turn it, and the others, on and then turn it back off when you are done. After all, it's just three services. <p>If you take a minimalist's point of view to running both software and services on your computer, it will perform faster and more safely than it will if you just randomly load anything anyone tells you to. To better secure your PC, stick to a mindset that if you don't absolutely need a service running right now, you should just turn it off. <p>For those of you that break stuff when you turn off services I suggest are unnecessary. If you turn off all the stuff that blatantly doesn't have anything to do with the network, you should be fine. Then, turn off one thing at a time that you /think/ doesn't support your network connection. If you lose your connection, turn the service back on. Next, and this part is very important, make sure your network settings are accurate and set for "on" so you can reconnect. You should find out how your PC connects to your local network before you get started and document it. But, anything you turn off that breaks something needs to be carefully examined and documented (write it down somewhere). <p>Just because you turn a service back on, doesn't mean your broken software will magically start working again. For example, remember the issue of using a computer in your network to manage your connection? If that's how you connect, you'll have to reconfigure that connection to get online if you kill it by killing a service. Likely, Computer Browser will cause this kind of problem. Also, just enabling the service doesn't turn it on. You need to manually restart it, since the start, enable, stop, settings go into action on bootup. So, if you don't want to wait til your box reboots, you'll need to manually turn off the service if you want it disabled, and manually turn it on if you want to enable it (and see if that given service is your problem). <p>What about System Restore? Well, I don't like it. If I had a dollar for every time someone fouled up their PC, ran system restore, and were amazed that all wasn't suddenly happy sunshine, I'd have a really nice vacation home. I realize it makes life easier for newbies that randomly screw stuff up and can't be hassled with learning the things they use. But, for most cases, it's a great tool for virus and worms to avoid capture. You delete them, they have a backup switch to recapture control through the restore program. Many antivirus programs don't work properly when you have this feature enabled. You can leave it on if you're a fan. Perhaps it makes you feel good, like it would make everything right again if you had it around. But, it won't save you from a serious problem. Backups and safe computer practices will. <p>You need to learn enough about your PC to run a functional backup and restoration of your critical data. If you can't do this, you're just waiting to lose everything. <p>Don't be afraid to learn more about your PC. It's one thing to run through a checklist of stuff I suggest you don't need. But, it's not a guarantee that I address every concern for every user. With a few hours here and there of learning now, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration later. The things I learned about Windows five and six years ago still serve me today. The things I learned about networks running Unix systems serve me every day, no matter what operating system I may run. <p>Enjoy learning; it's the first line of defense against bad software and broken PCs. <p>[Check out Run a Faster Windows PC, now that you're done with this article.] <p>Latest comments: Hi, three things, and I know I'm a few years late with the first, and maybe you've gotten it a few hundred times already, but I've only recently discovered your article on unnecessary services that windows... [snip] You know, that article is really, really old. And, to be honest I don't update it and can't imagine why so many people read it. It makes me think I may should spend more time on things like that - keeping it current, etc. So, I will add comments down here as folk email me questions and comments. <p>You mention that Cryptographic Services is unnecessary unless you work in a large network atmosphere (or something along those lines), plus stuff about certificates. [snip] ... is required for automatic updates. I think this is recent behavior. Just yesterday I downloaded TweakUI for a friend and his WinXP complained the software wasn't signed... WHAT!? Microsoft didn't bother using their beloved signing technology even though they act as though anything that's not digitally signed is a trojan or virus? Amazing, but they don't retroactively utilize their own technologies and they often throw new requirements (often for "security" sake) on their old operating systems. <p>I actually changed my position on this and though it's dangerous on multiple levels, I think considering all it's almost required that you leave auto-updates running, since you can't possibly run a safe PC without daily update checks and who can be bothered to run updates manually every day. Microsoft doesn't exactly make downloading and installing them manually a simple process. <p>BTW, if you download the updates manually from TechNET, you don't need this service running - but that's not what you want to do, you just want to click a button and have your system automatically update. Automatic and automatic have different meanings here. I mean, the update you're trying to do with the click is automatic, and the update that happens without your involvement at all (scheduled automatic updates) is also automatic. <p>Telephony Services: you say it's unnecessary if you don't use a modem to connect to the internet, and I was like "Nah, I have cable because I'm t3h 133720r2!" and I tried to turn it off, and it won't turn off. And before I pressed the issue, a question came to mind- is a cable modem still a modem in the sense that you're referring to them? And if so... who the XXX is lucky enough to not need any modem at all to connect to Al Gore's miracle?! So that threw me off a bit. Well... there's two answers to this question - the implied and the direct. <p>I used to have a "cable modem," but I used a network connection (via my NIC) to connect. I have DSL now and do the same. Most modern distributions of network connections (DSL/Cable/T1/etc.) use plain ole NICs to connect - some people install that awful driver software, and that //may// require this feature, though honestly I've not personally tested so I don't know for fact. <p>Let me tell you this - all kinds of crap uses telephony. VOIP, modems, fax, etc. all use it. Even my stupid fax printing software that sends the fax through //EMAIL// uses the telephony service. <p>Lastly, this one comes from the article you link to at the bottom of the unnecessary services article, about running a faster Windows PC. You suggest Avira Antivir to replace McAfee and Norton, and seeing as how you had thus far proven to be a pretty legitimate tech advisor (I started getting paranoid that in the stead of traditional viruses, people just give you "advice" to delete perfectly vital bits of software and whatnot), I jumped on the free version. I had been a McAfee noob, and had been increasingly frustrated with it. <p>Avira works great and all, but there's one little thing that drives me crazy that I can't seem to figure out. How the XXX do you get rid of the "Notifier of Avira" that constantly bugs you to buy the premium edition and reminds me of spyware/popups itself? [snip] ...plenty, so I really can't justify working over 20 whole hard-earned dollars just to make what amounts to be a popup, from a program that is supposed to... [snip] I'm afraid they've jumped onto the harassment bandwagon with their free product. It's annoying. And, to be honest I just plopped down the $40 and bought the commercial license of Avast recently. I suggest you do the same. <p>All antivirus companies eventually get dragged into the corporate profit game and leave the good antivirus arena. The fact is, it's not really considered a good growth model to stick to plain ole antivirus software. The big guys lead the track on bloatware, but everyone gets into it. They either offer more bells and whistles and harass you or harass you to spend more money on the basics. Once they feel that they've saturated the "I just want a good antivirus program" market, they start banging on your wallet. <p>But, for the moment, I'm happy with my commercial Avast. <p>As for forking over $20 to stop the harassment. I'm sorry, but as a capitalist I don't really mind this so much. And, to be honest $20 for protection without the CPU tax other big brands charge - gimping your entire machine for the promise of safer web browsing - it's a good deal. I'd pay the $20. It's worth it. NOTE Windows <=8 1745 09/09/2023 Windows <=8 Video How To Configure And Use Text-to-Speech In Windows XP And Vista speech text Text-to-Speech (TTS) capabilities for a computer refers to the ability to play back text in a spoken voice. This article describes how to configure and use text-to-speech in Windows XP and in Windows Vista. TTS is the ability of the operating system to play back printed text as spoken words. An internal driver, called a TTS engine, recognizes the text and using a synthesized voice chosen from several pre-generated voices, speaks the written text. A TTS engine is installed with the operating system. Additional engines are also available through third-party manufacturers. These engines often use a certain jargon or vocabulary; for example, a vocabulary specializing in medical or legal terminology. They can also use different voices allowing for regional accents such as British English, or speak a different language altogether such as German, French, or Russian. The Text-to-Speech tab in the Speech tool in Control Panel presents the options for each TTS engine. See the individual Help topics for specific help. In addition to the general options, each engine can have a different set of specific features. For that reason, not all the resulting dialog boxes will look the same. It is possible that no special features have been included and some of the properties buttons will not have an associated dialog box. Back to the top Setting Up Your Hardware NOTE: This article assumes that you use Classic View in Control Panel. To change views, follow these steps: Click Start, and then click Control Panel. In Control Panel, click Switch to Classic View or Switch to Category View. Set Up Speakers Speakers vary greatly in design and purpose. Consult the speaker manual for hardware and software specifics. However, most models can be installed in a similar fashion. To set up speakers, follow these steps: Locate the sound connections and connect the speaker jack to the computer. Most computers use an internal sound card and often the connections are in the back of the computer. These are a series of connections the same size and diameter as the speaker jack. In many cases there are two sound out connections: One will be labeled as a line-out connection. Most speakers that require a separate power supply (such as an electrical (AC) adapter or batteries) should use this connection. It is also used to export amplified sound to recording devices including recordable CDs and tape cassette systems. The other connection is for the non-powered speakers. Because the signal is boosted by the computer, powered speakers may be damaged if connected. Plug the speaker into the proper connection. To test the connection, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Preview Voice to hear the currently selected voice. The text is spoken and the words are highlighted as they are spoken. If the speakers are working properly, you will hear the spoken words. If you do not hear sound after you connect the speakers, see the "Possible Text-to-Speech Problems" section of this article for troubleshooting procedures. Select an Audio Output Device To select an audio output device, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Audio Output. Select either Use preferred audio output device or Use this audio output device. Use preferred audio device sets the output device as the default for the system. Select this option if you want to use the same output device for speech as all other sound for the system. It is also the default option for Speech properties. Often, computers will have only one output device, such as a pair of speakers. The default device is designated in the appropriate sounds or multimedia properties in Control Panel for each operating system. Additional information for the specific panel is available through the associated Help files. Use this audio output device allows you to select another device for speech programs only. The drop-down list is active if other devices are available. In this drop-down list, select the device that you want. This does not change the default device for other audio programs. For example, you may want all speech output to go through your headset rather than the speakers. Set Audio Output Device Options By default, this option is disabled. However, other speech engines may include advanced properties for audio line out options. If so, Audio Output will be available. Follow instructions on the screen or those documented separately for the specific engine. To set up audio output device options, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Audio Output. Follow the instructions presented on the screen. Back to the top Configure Text-to-Speech Options Determine the Selected TTS Voice or Engine To determine the selected Text-to-Speech voice, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, the displayed name in the Voice selection drop-down list is the currently active voice. Click Preview Voice to hear the active voice. The text is spoken and the words are highlighted as they are spoken. Preview TTS Voice To preview the Text-to-Speech voice, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, the displayed name in the Voice selection drop-down list is the active voice. Click Preview Voice to hear the currently selected voice. The text is spoken and the words are highlighted as they are spoken. During playback, Preview Voice will change to Stop. Click Stop to interrupt the voice playback. NOTE:You can change the text to be read by the Preview Voice by highlighting the text and typing in new text. These changes are not permanent and when you reopen Speech properties or select a different voice, the text will reset to the default. Change the TTS Voice or Engine To change the Text-to-Speech voice or engine, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, the name displayed in the Voice selection drop-down list is the active voice. Click the active voice inside the drop-down list, or use the arrow to display a list of available voices. Click a new voice to select it. The newly selected voice speaks the text in Preview Voice box. Click OK or Apply to accept the new voice. Notes: A Text-to-Speech voice is closely associated with a particular speech engine. It may not be clear from the displayed name which language a voice is using. After selecting a speech engine or voice, test the voice and language by clicking Preview Voice. The language or voices supported by a speech engine may not be obvious from the engine's displayed name. Refer to the specific user's guide for detailed information about the engine. This includes not only the language supported, but also the lexicon purpose. The lexicon purpose indicates whether it is a general grammar or jargon specific to a profession such as legal or medical. Microsoft does not provide additional speech engines (voices), but a number of third-party products are available that support the new Microsoft Speech API. For information on these products, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/speech/evaluation/thirdparty/engines.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/speech/evaluation/thirdparty/engines.mspx) Change TTS Voice Rate To change the Text-to-Speech voice rate, follow these steps: Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. Select the Text-to-Speech tab. Move the Voice speed slider to change the rate of the Text-to-Speech voice. By default, it is set to Normal. Click Preview Voice to hear the currently selected voice at the new rate. The text is spoken and the words are highlighted as they are spoken. To Change the Text-to-Speech Volume To adjust the volume output levels, follow the procedure below. Note that not all devices support this option in the same way. Some devices will not support volume control and the Volume button will be unavailable. Other devices may use their own display. In those cases, follow the instructions presented on the screen or documented separately with the engine. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Audio Output, and then click Volume. A volume control mixer will be displayed. Adjust the appropriate device to the required level. Back to the top Using Text-to-Speech with Narrator Narrator is a Text-to-Speech utility for users who are blind or have impaired vision. Narrator reads what is displayed on your screen: the contents of the active window, menu options, or the text that you type. Narrator is designed to work with the Notepad, WordPad, Control Panel programs, Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Windows desktop, and Windows Setup. Narrator may not read words aloud correctly in other programs. Narrator has a number of options that allow you to customize the way screen elements are read. You can have new windows, menus, or shortcut menus read aloud when they are displayed. You can have typed characters read aloud. You can have the mouse pointer follow the active item on the screen. You can adjust the speed, volume, or pitch of the voice. The accessibility tools included with Windows are intended to provide a minimum level of functionality for users with special needs. Most users with disabilities will need utility programs with more advanced functionality for daily use. Narrator is not available for all languages and is only supported on the English version of Windows XP and Windows Vista. To Have Narrator Announce Events on the Screen Start Narrator by using one of the following methods: Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Narrator. -or- Press CTRL+ESC, press R, type narrator, and then press ENTER. In the Narrator dialog box, select the Announce events on screen check box. To Have Narrator Read Typed Keys Aloud Press CTRL+ESC, press R, type narrator, and then press ENTER. Select the Read typed characters check box. To Have the Mouse Pointer Move to Active Items When You Use Narrator Press CTRL+ESC, press R, type narrator, and then press ENTER. Select the Move mouse pointer to the active item check box. Back to the top Navigating with the Keyboard and Narrator Reading options To read an entire window, click the window and then press CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR. To get information about the current item, press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER. To get a more detailed description of an item, press CTRL+SHIFT+INSERT. To read the title bar of a window, press ALT+HOME. To read the status bar of a window, press ALT+END. To read the contents of an edit field, press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER, or use the arrow keys. To silence the speech, press CTRL. Keyboard Options To switch to another program, press ALT+TAB. To switch to the next button or tool, press TAB. To go back, press SHIFT+TAB. To select an item from a drop-down list, use the arrow keys. To select a check box or option button, press SPACEBAR. To open Utility Manager, press the Windows logo key+U. Back to the top To Set Narrator Voice Options Press CTRL+ESC, press R, type narrator, and then press ENTER. Click Voice. In the Voice Settings dialog box, select the voice options that you want to change: To change the speed of the voice, click a number in the Speed box. To change the volume of the voice, click a number in the Volume box. To change the pitch of the voice, click a number in the Pitch box. Note: When you change voice settings, it may take from a few seconds to a minute before the new settings take effect. Back to the top To Start Narrator Minimized You may find it useful to run Narrator minimized (after you have set the options in Narrator), because you do not need to see the Narrator dialog box when Narrator is running. Press CTRL+ESC, press R, type narrator, and then press ENTER. Select the Start Narrator minimized check box. Back to the top Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Text-to-Speech To determine if Text-to-Speech is working properly, use the following tests. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Speech. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Preview Voice. The text in Preview Voice should be spoken audibly with each word highlighted in turn. If so, TTS and the speakers are working. If you cannot hear the Preview Voice and see words highlighted as they are spoken, see "Possible Text-to-Speech Problems" section of this article for troubleshooting solutions. Possible Text-to-Speech Problems If you do not hear speech after testing the system, consider the following: The speaker volume is not turned up or is muted. Some speakers have external controls for volume and muting. Make sure the volume is turned up sufficiently or that muting is off. The speakers may not be selected as the current output device. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Audio Output to make sure that the speakers are selected. The speakers might not be connected properly. Consult the speaker hardware documentation for additional information. Make certain that the sound card for the computer is also properly seated and installed, and that the correct drivers are available. See "Set Up Speakers" for additional connection information. The Text-to-Speech engine may be corrupted. To test for corruption, switch to another engine. See the "Changing the TTS voice or engine" section of this article. If another engine is working properly, reinstall the specific engine from the original source. If no engine is working properly, reinstall the speech engine from the original source or CD. Windows <=8 2194 09/09/2023