Enable/Disable System Restore

Windows XP has a feature System Restore which allows users to restore Windows settings and configurations to an earlier point in time (called Restore Points). An administrator can turn off the System Restore feature. This tip gives you the registry hack to disable user access to the System Restore menu option in the Start menu and Control Panel.… Read More »

How to Find an App’s Registry Settings

Applications usually scatter their configuration settings all over the Windows registry when they are installed, but in general there are two places you can find these settings in case you want to modify them or troubleshoot something. Specifically, per-user application settings are usually found in the following key or something like it:

Fix for Empty Add/Remove List

When you try to use the Add/Remove Programs feature in the Windows XP control panel, you may have a problem because the list of programs or currently installed programs comes up blank and never appears.

vi Command Reference

A table of commands used in the Unix-based vi editing program. Commands include moving the cursor, text insertion and deletion, screen commands, and change commands.

SATA vs ATA

The last few years have witnessed some exhilarating developments in the manufacturing of hard drives with the introduction of larger caches, quicker spindle speeds, greater data transmission speeds, and better reliability.

Working With Computers in Today’s Society

Well, we’ve been warned that this time would come – probably from the earlier eighties on. Yes, computers have finally taken over and if you doubt it, we’re here to convince you – but not because we want to or because we can. We want to convince you that if you don’t take the necessary steps to control… Read More »

Clean Your Drive to Improve Performance

When it comes to maintaining your computer, you’ve probably heard it all before. “Run Defrag!” “Scan Your Disk for Errors!” Although these two activities are important, there’s more you can do to extend the life of your computer beyond today’s predicted two-year span. In fact, by following the simple advice below, you can enjoy the use of your… Read More »

Introduction to File Extensions

In an effort to be “user-friendly,” Windows (and perhaps some other operating systems) hides the most important part of a file name from new computer users: the extension. Okay – we’re assuming that the reasoning behind hiding extensions is a “user-friendly” one because we just can’t come up with any other reason for hiding them. No harm could… Read More »

Virus Introduction

Over recent years, computers have become synonymous with viruses and viruses don’t show any signs of disappearing any time soon. In recent news, LiveScience.com reported that “Before the month is even done, April has set a record for virus e-mails.”1 In the past, we would be comfortable in telling new computer users not to worry about viruses and… Read More »

Not Rocket Science

These days it’s strange to hear people say, “I’m just not computer literate,” as computers have evolved from archaic scientific calculators to simple point-and-click type machines. We suspect that today’s “computer illiterates” are people who haven’t taken the time to experiment with such a machine. And we strongly believe that spending just twenty minutes with one could turn… Read More »