Tutorials

How to Disable or Enable Programs and Features in Vista This will show you how to enable or disable access of Programs and Features in the Control Panel to view, uninstall, change, or repair programs that are currently installed on the computer for all users.This will not prevent a program from being uninstalled by a 3rd party program or manually from the program's uninstaller in it's C:\Program Files folder. EXAMPLE: Programs and Features Disabled Through the Local Group Policy Editor 1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied. 2. In the left pane, click on User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Control Panel, and...

How to Open a Elevated Command Prompt in Vista This will show you how to open a elevated command prompt with administrator rights (Run as administrator) instead of the default command prompt without administrator rights.The cmd.exe file for the command prompt is located at C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe EXAMPLE: The Default Command Prompt (top) and the Elevated Command Prompt (bottom) NOTE: Notice how the elevated command prompt opens to the C:\Windows\System32 location instead of just the current users C:\Users\(User Name) location. Here's How: 1. Open the Start Menu. 2. Click on All Programs and Accessories. (See screenshots below) 3. Right click on Command Prompt and click Run as administrator. 4. Click on Continue in the UAC...

How to Add or Remove "Hidden Files and Folders" from Folder Options in Vista and Windows 7 This will show you how to Add or Remove the Hidden Files and Folders options in Folder Options for all user account on the computer.The Hidden Files and Folders option is added to Folder Options by default. EXAMPLE: Hidden Files and Folders Option Added and Removed NOTE: You will need to close and reopen Folder Options to see the changes made below. Using a REG File Download 1. To Add "Hidden Files and Folders" to Folder Options NOTE: This reg download containd the entire contents of the Hidden key, including the NOHIDDEN and SHOWALL subkeys, for a full restore of the Hidden files and folders option. WARNING: If you have get a black square(s)...

How to Fix Game Shortcut Links in Vista Games Explorer If you click on any game shortcut link in the Games Explorer window and it does not work or you get the error: This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel. , then this will show you how to fix this. For missing game shortcuts, you will just need to create and copy a new shortcut into the Games Explorer window.This usually happens when the XP method of deleting the IsShortcut registry value for .lnk files (Shortcuts), to remove or change the shortcut arrow overlay icon, is used in Vista by mistake. For a safe Vista method, see: How to Remove or Change the Shortcut Arrow and Name in...

How to Change the Number of Recent Programs to Display in the Vista Start Menu This will show you how to change how many recently opened programs will be displayed in the Vista Start menu Pin to area.You will need to have the Recent Programs list turned on first. EXAMPLE: Start Menu Recent Programs List Here's How: 1. Right click on the Start menu button and click Properties. 2. Click on the Customize button to the right of the Start menu ticker. (See screenshot below) 3. Under the Start menu size section, change the number to how many recently opened programs you want displayed in the Start menu. (See screenshot below) 4. Click on OK. 5. Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 2) That's it, Shawn How to Fix Recent...

How to Deny or Allow Read and Write Access to Tape Drives in Vista and Windows 7 This will show you how to deny or allow read and write access to all Tape Drives that are connected to your computer for all users.By default, read and write access is allowed for these drives in Vista for all users. You can set to allow or deny only the read or write access, or you can allow or deny both read and write access.If you have All Removable Devices set as denied, then it will take precedence over the changes you make here. Through the Local Group Policy Editor 1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied. 2. In the left pane, click on User...

How to Deny or Allow Read and Write Access to Removable Hard Drives in Windows This will show you how to deny or allow read and write access to all removable external Hard Disk Drives that are connected to your computer for all users in Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.By default, read and write access is allowed for these drives for all users. You can set to allow or deny only the read or write access, or you can allow or deny both read and write access.If you have All Removable Devices set as denied, then it will take precedence over the changes you make here. Through the Local Group Policy Editor 1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want...

How to Deny or Allow Read and Write Access to CD and DVD Drives in Vista and Windows 7 This will show you how to deny or allow read and write access to all CD and DVD Drives that are connected to your computer for all users.By default, read and write access is allowed for these drives in Vista for all users. You can set to allow or deny only the read or write access, or you can allow or deny both read and write access.If you have All Removable Devices set as denied, then it will take precedence over the changes you make here. Through the Local Group Policy Editor 1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied. 2. In the left pane...

How to Deny or Allow Read and Write Access to Floppy Drives in Vista and Windows 7 This will show you how to deny or allow read and write access to any Floppy and USB Floppy Drives that are connected to your computer for all users. This is not for USB flash drives or USB external hard drives. By default, read and write access is allowed for these drives in Vista for all users. You can set to allow or deny only the read or write access, or you can allow or deny both read and write access.If you have All Removable Devices set as denied, then it will take precedence over the changes you make here. Through the Local Group Policy Editor 1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy...

How to Reset the Favorites Favicons in Vista and Windows 7 This will show you how reset the favicons in the Favorites website links by wiping them out so that they will reload again the next time you visit the website so that they will display correctly again. The Favorites folder is at: C:\Users\(user name)\Favorites.A favicon is a small unique 16x16 pixels .ico (icon) file that appears in the Internet Explorer address bar and added Favorites links from that particular website. Favicons are stored in the hidden protected operating system file Temporary Internet Files folder below: C:\Users\(User-Name)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files EXAMPLE: Favorites Favicons in the Start Menu EXAMPLE: Favorites...

How to Enable or Disable SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer 8 SmartScreen (Phishing) Filter is designed to warn you if the website you are visiting is impersonating another website or contains threats to you computer. This will show you how to enable to disable the SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer 8. For more about SmartScreen Filter, see: Internet Explorer 8: More secure, private, and reliableSmartScreen Filter helps protect you against inadvertent installation of malware—or malicious software—which can compromise your data, privacy, and identity while also damaging your computer and valuable data. Today Internet Explorer is detecting over 1 million attempts to visit known phishing sites weekly. Malware is software that...

How to Turn Internet Explorer InPrivate Filtering On or Off InPrivate Filtering in IE8 and IE9 helps prevent the websites you visit from automatically sharing details about your visit with other websites. This will show you how to turn InPrivate Filtering to off, Automatically block (on), or Choose content to block or allow (on) in the current Internet Explorer browsing session. When turned on, InPrivate Filtering will only stay on in the current Internet Explorer browsing session. When you close all instances of Internet Explorer, InPrivate Filtering will be turned off by default.Today websites increasingly pull content in from multiple sources, providing tremendous value to consumer and sites alike. Users are often not aware that...

How to Add or Remove a Toolbar on the Taskbar in Vista and Windows 7 A toolbar is a row, column, or block of buttons or icons representing tasks you can do within a program or files in a folder. This will allow you to add Quick Launch, any folder shortcuts, internet links, address bar, or a desktop shortcuts to the taskbar as a toolbar for quick access. If you want to enable or disable taskbar toolbars and remove all current Toolbars, then see: How to Enable or Disable Taskbar Toolbars in Vista instead. If you would like to enable or disable adding and removing of taskbar toolbars without removing all current toolbars, then see: How to Enable or Disable Adding and Removing Taskbar Toolbars in Vista Here's How: 1. Right click...

How to Show and Change a File Name Extension in Vista A file name extension is a set of characters added to the end of a file name that identifies the file type or format which determines what program should open it. This will show you how to Hide or Show and Change file extensions in Vista.This will not work for the .lnk shortcut file extension since you cannot see it by default. For how to see this file extension, see: File Name Extension How to Show or Hide File Name Extensions 1. Open Folder Options. 2. To Show File Name Extensions A) Uncheck Hide extensions for known file types. (See screenshot below step 4) B) Go to step 4. 3. To Hide File Name Extensions A) Check Hide extensions for known file types. 4. Click on OK...

How to Create and Run a Extended Disk Cleanup Shortcut in Vista This Guide will help you run the Extended Disk Cleanup found in all versions of Windows allowing you to access the hidden Disk Cleanup options for an Extended Cleanup. First Method: The easy way 1St Step: Download this Shortcut and extract it somewhere like your desktop (Do not Run it from within your extraction program) https://www.vistax64.com/attachments/extended-disc-cleanup-desktop-shortcut-zip.4270/ 2nd Step: Right-Click the Shortcut and select “Run as Admin” 3rd Step: Now you will see the Disk Cleanup Settings window with many more options not usually visible in the standard Disk Cleanup, By default all options are selected for cleaning and you can change...

How to Enable or Disable InPrivate Filtering Data in Internet Explorer 8 InPrivate Filtering Data is saved data used by InPrivate Filtering to detect where websites may be automatically sharing details about your visit. This will show you how to enable or disable InPrivate Filtering Data in Vista Internet Explorer 8.InPrivate Filtering helps you control whether third parties can automatically collect information about your web browsing based on the sites you visit. InPrivate Filtering does this by identifying third-party content that is used by multiple websites you visit. Some website content might not be displayed unless you choose to allow these third-party websites.To make sure this is not enabled by someone (ex: a child), put them...

How to Use the Registry Editor in Vista and other Techniques Misuse of the registry can lead to problems resulting in the need to reinstall Vista. Unlike many other programs, there is no 'Undo' function in the registry. Any changes made take effect immediately and cannot be undone except by the same method. Proceed with caution. The posts that I shall be referring to are E-mail Fonts and word 2007 send to buttton greyed out. I have chosen these because the first can be edited by a standard user (as well as a user with administrative credentials) whereas the second example can only be edited by a user with administrative credentials (or an administrator). I have also included a 3rd example, this time 'Typical Values' for illustration...

How to Change the Active Open Folder Icon in Vista This will show you how to change the active open folder icon to use a icon of your choice to help tell what folder is open in all folder trees in the Vista. For example, in the Navigation Pane and Start menu All Programs. It makes it easier to navigate when the open folder icon is different than all the other folder icons.EXAMPLE: Folder Tree Open Icon Before and After NOTE: Notice how the default yellow folder is changed to another icon now to help see which folder you have open currently. BEFORE -------------------- AFTER --------------------- AFTER Using a REG File Download NOTE: To use a icon of your own instead of the one in the example above, see step 7D in the Manual Way...

How to Remove or Restore the Vista Log On Shutdown Options This will show you how to remove or restore the red box shutdown options from the Log On screen in Vista. By default, the shutdown options are available in the log on screen.If the shutdown options are removed from the log on screen, then users will not be able to shutdown or restart the computer unless they are logged on to Vista, or press the case power button or reset button. EXAMPLE: Log On Screen with Shutdown Options Restored or Removed Through Local Security Policy 1. Open the Local Security Policy editor. 2. In the left pane, click on the arrow to the left of Local Policies to expand it. (See screenshot below step 4) 3. In the left pane, click Security Options...

How to Create a New E-mail Message to a Specified Contact's E-mail Address Shortcut This will show you how to create a New E-Mail Message shortcut that will open the New Message window of your default email program with a specified contact's email-address already in the To field in Vista and Windows 7.This can be handy if you have a contact that you are always sending new email messages to.EXAMPLE: New Message window from Windows Mail with a Contact's email address Here's How: 1. Right click on a empty area of the desktop, and click on New and Shortcut. 2. Type mailto: plus the email address you want used for the shortcut into the location area, and click on the Next button. (see screenshot below) NOTE: For example...