Enable or Disable Windows Sidebar
Depending on your Windows Vista configuration, Windows Sidebar may or may not be displayed when you start your machine.
Category Archives: Vista
How to customize the Send To menu in Vista
A useful trick in Vista is being able to right-click on an item, select Send To, and then send the item to your Documents folder, a mail recipient, a USB drive, and so on.
Locking down USB devices in Vista for greater security
If you want to prevent users from connecting USB key drives to their machines and copying sensitive company information onto them, you can always pour glue in the USB ports on these machines, but that’s a drastic measure.
How to disable Vista’s Setup log
Windows Vista includes a Setup log which can be viewed and analyzed using Event Viewer. By default new Setup events generated are added to this log, but you can disable this functionality using local Group Policy as follows:
Extending The Windows Vista Grace Period to 120 Days
If you’re on the fence about the impending release of Windows Vista, I recommend trying before you buy. Every Vista DVD includes the ability to install any edition of Vista without a product key. When you install without a product key, you get an automatic 30-day evaluation period.* This probably isn’t news to anyone.
Use BCDEDIT to change boot up options
If you are dual booting XP Prof and Vista, you most likely have the annoying “Earlier Version of Windows” in the boot list and have Vista booting as the default. Let’s change that!
How to Boot into Vista’s Audit Mode
There are two different ways of booting into Vista — Windows Welcome and Audit Mode. Windows Welcome or OOBE (out of box experience) is the typical pathway and provides the user the customization wizards. Audit Mode, however, will allow the user to skip the Windows Welcome and boot directly onto the desktop as quickly as possible.
Change Windows Vista Product Key after install
Do you need to change your product key so that you can activate Windows Vista properly? You can use a great command line tool that will help you do this very easily. Just follow these steps: 1. Click on the Start Button and key in command prompt so that it shows up on your start menu search… Read More »
Checkbox Select Alternative
Windows Vista includes a new method to select files when using explorer. Instead of holding down CTRL and then clicking on all the files you want to select, Vista includes the option to check boxes to select items instead. This new feature can be a little hard to get used to at first, but after you use it for… Read More »
Check Windows Vista Activation Status
Are you a user of Windows Vista Enterprise or Business edition and would like to know the status of activation of a specific computer? Want to make sure that the computer connected properly to the Key Management Server (KMS) or used your Multiple Activation Key (MAK) properly? Or are you a home user and just want to make… Read More »