BizzNtech » Windows Xp

How to Fix Windows Vista Folder View Settings from Resetting

Joel — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:54:05 +0000

Some of you Vista users might have experienced an annoying problem in Vista. This problem has infected many pcs with XP as well. The folder view settings set by the user for a particular folder get reset from time to time. Windows remembers by default the folder view settings of 200 local folders and 200 network folders initially. Windows Vista remembers 5000 folders which are usually enough for most users. But users having more than 5000 folders experience this problem. Here’s an easy registry tweak which fixes this problem. Here’s how you do it:

1. Go to Start> Run. Type regedit and hit enter to open registry editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
3. Now create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it BagMRU Size.
4. Double-click the entry and give it a value of 10000, double the default amount.

Once done, just browse to the folder where the folder settings were getting reset. Now, if the same thing repeats, you need to increase the value of 10000 which you had entered earlier to 15000 or more.

NOTE: If you’re using XP then the maximum limit of value that you can set is 8000.

How to Format a USB Drive/ Pen Drive in Windows

Joel — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:13:16 +0000

Here’s a short and easy tutorial which will guide you through formatting a USB thumb drive, pen drive, flash drive or USB drive as you call it. I know most of you know how to do this. But recently I was surprised to see my friend struggle when I asked him to format his pen drive in my pc when he had come to my place. I asked him “How do you usually format your pen drive?” He said, “I do it using a software”. The shocking part was that he wasn’t aware of the format option that is available on right clicking on the drive. Well, here’s a tutorial if you didn’t know how to format your drive.

Firstly, Insert the pen drive and open My Computer. Right-click the USB drive and select Format

Now, Select the File System that best suits your needs, and give the drive a name in the Volume label field. I would prefer NTFS. Click Start to format the drive.
Click OK on the warning window. Now the formatting will begin, once done click OK. Your Pen drive is now formatted. Pretty easy isn’t it?

How to Add Command Prompt to the Right-Click Menu in Windows Explorer

Joel — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:07:49 +0000

Majority of us open command prompt by going to Start> Run but here’s an easy way to start it. You can add an option in the right click menu in Windows explorer to start command prompt. Here’s how you do it:

Firstly, open notepad and paste the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\CommandPrompt]
@=”Command Prompt”
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\CommandPrompt\Command]
@=”cmd.exe /k cd %1″

Now save it as “commandprompt.reg” anywhere you like.
Now close notepad and double click on commandprompt.reg that you created.
It will ask you whether you want to add information to the registry, simply click OK.
That’s it! Now you can right click on any folder and start command prompt.

How to Hide Drive Letters or Partitions in My Computer

Joel — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:18:54 +0000

Sometimes when there are many people who use the same pc, you would like to hide certain stuff from them especially if they are kids or maybe non geeky users. They usually mess up installed programs files, documents, and other stuff. So the best way to prevent such problems is to hide drives from appearing in My Computer. Here’s a quick and easy tutorial to do so:

Using Tweak UI:
1. Download and install Tweak UI.
2. Now start Tweak UI and go to My Computer> Drives.
3. Uncheck the drive that you want to hide. Click OK.
4. That’s it now the unchecked drive won’t appear in My Computer. If you want it to appear again run Tweak UI, go to My Computer> Drives and check the hidden drive letter.

Via Computer Management:
1. Go to Control Panel> Administrative Tools> Computer Management.
2. Expand Computer Management (Local)> Storage> Disk Management.
3. Right click on D: drive partition and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
4. Select D: drive, click Remove button and click OK.

Control System Volume with your Mouse Scroller

Joel — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:51:06 +0000

Don’t like to adjust your system volume by going to taskbar or settings? Here’s a simple way for lazy people like me. You need to have a mouse with scroller in order to do this, well most of us do have. There’s a free utility known as Volumouse. Using this little softy you can adjust your system volume by just moving scrolling your mouse scroller up and down.

Volumouse provides you a quick and easy way to control the sound volume on your system - simply by rolling the wheel of your wheel mouse. You can set key combination to make the scroller work. For instance, you can control the volume by holding the Alt key and then rolling your mouse scroller. There are several other combinations which you can try. It’s definitely worth a try if you adjust the volume quite often.
Download Volumouse

Pismo File Mount: Mount ZIP, ISO Files into a Virtual Drive

Joel — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:16:41 +0000

You might have come across several utilities which allow you to mount ISO, MDF, etc files into virtual drives. Today, I’m going to speak about yet another utility known as Pismo File Mount which allows users to mount files on to virtual drives. So what’s so special about this software that makes it different from others? Well, you can even mount ZIP files into a virtual drive! Pretty cool isn’t it?

Mounting images into a virtual drive using Pismo File Mount is pretty easy. All you need to do is first download Pismo File Mount and then install it. Once done you can easily mount any ZIP or ISO file into a virtual drive by just right clicking on it and selecting Mount or Quick Mount from the context menu. You can also launch Pismo File Mount first and then browse for the files you want to mount.

Once the file is mounted, you can easily view files in Windows Explorer. You can also set read/write or read only access to the archived files.

Download Pismo File Mount

[via-downloadsquad]

Quickly Install Fonts in Windows

Joel — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:13:06 +0000

If you like to download and try out different fonts in your pc you might get bugged with the fonts installation process in Windows. The default way to install new fonts in Windows is to click on the Font entry in the Windows Control Panel and to select Install New Font from the File menu. But I usually install new fonts by dragging and dropping them into Fonts in Control Panel. I feel it’s pretty convenient. Well, if you have saved fonts in different locations then it will certainly take a lot of time to install new fonts.

Today, I came across a small Windows app- ClickFont which makes installing fonts easier. It allows easy installation of TrueType, OpenType and PostScript fonts with just two mouse clicks, from anywhere in the system. To install new fonts all you need to do is just right click on the font and select “Install Font”.

You can also right click on a particular folder with fonts and click on “Install fonts” to install all the fonts in the folder.

Download ClickFont

How to use a Screensaver as Wallpaper in XP

Joel — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:18:07 +0000

Bored of same old static desktop wallpaper? I guess it’s time to get it into life. So, how about setting a screensaver as your desktop wallpaper? Good idea isn’t it? By default there’s no such option to set a screensaver as wallpaper in XP. But don’t worry, there’s a software known as Vital Desktop which does the job. Here’s how you do it:

Download Vital Desktop and install it.
Now double click on VDConfig.exe to start the program.
Choose a screensaver of your choice and apply it.
Right click on desktop and go to Vital Desktop> and check the option “Enable Vital Desktop”
You can also check the option “Load at windows startup” option from the System tab to start it when Windows starts.

Download Vital Desktop

How to Restrict User Logon Hours in Windows XP

Joel — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:19:05 +0000

Sometimes if your children use a lot of computer you might want to restrict their windows logon hours so that they have control over their computer usage and concentrate on studies. Well, it’s not just children, you might also like to control any users logon hours on your pc. You can do this either by using a software or by a simple windows command. If you wanna go the software way then you gotta pay. So, let’s go the easy way, i.e. by a simple windows command. Here’s how you do it:

Go to start> Run

Now type cmd and hit enter.

You need to make use of the net user command, check out for some examples below:
net user joel /time:M-F,08:00-17:00
net user joel /time:M-F,8am-5pm
net user joel /time:M,4am-5pm;T,1pm-3pm;W-F,8:00-17:00
net user joel /time:all (this allows user to logon at any time, on any day)

Type any one of the above and replace joel with your windows username.

Note: You can only restrict the user by one-one hour (for instance 14:00, 17:00, not 14:30 or 17:45). You also use the abbreviation for the day (that is, M,T,W,Th,F,Sa,Su)

How to Create a List of Files and Folders in a Directory

Joel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:15:22 +0000

We have several files and folders in our computers. Sometimes we may require a list of files and folders in a particular directory. Looking for each file and folder and listing them isn’t easy. But there’s an easy way to generate or create a list of files and folders in a location. Here’s how you do it:

Go to Start> Accessories> Notepad

Now type the following:

dir /s > output.txt

Save the file as “genfile.bat”, close Notepad.

Now to generate a files and folder list of a specific location, simply paste genfile.bat into it and double click on it. It will create a new text file in same place with the name “output” which will contain the list of all the files and folders present in the location. It not only shows the names of files and folders but it also shows the date on which they were created, their file size, etc.

Quickly Create New Folders

Joel — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:43:40 +0000

Sometimes when we create multiple folders it consumes a lot of time as Windows doesn’t provide any shortcut key to create a new folder quickly. But don’t worry people, I’m going to explain two ways through which you can create multiple folders easily and quickly. The first one is by creating a quick launch icon to create a new folder; the second one is by using a software.

Create New folders using a quick launch button:

Press Windows key + E to open the Windows Explorer window.

Now, Navigate to

C:\Documents and Settings\{Username}\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

[Change {Username} to your Windows username without brackets] Right click and create a new folder in the Quick Launch folder and name it Create New Folder.

Now close the window and click on your quick launch, you’ll see a new button in the Quick Launch toolbar with the name “Create New Folder”.

Now to create a new folder anywhere just click on the Create new folder icon and hold the ctrl key and drag drop it to the location where you want to create a new folder. The new folder will be created instantly.

You don’t need to create the quick launch button every time you restart windows, the button will always remain there.

Creating new folders using a software:

There’s a software known as BX New Folder which allows you to create new folders by just pressing the F12 key. Pretty cool isn’t it? To create a new folder using this app you need to first install it and then go to the directory where you want the new folder to be created. Once you are there, just press the F12 key, a new box will popup. Enter the name of the folder which is to be created. If you hold the shift key while creating a new folder, you’ll directly reach into the folder once it’s created.

Download BX New Folder [Link 2]

How to Install Windows Vista or XP on PSP

Joel — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:50:16 +0000

Here’s an awesome trick to get Windows Vista or Xp on your PSP. Now you might be wondering how’s that possible. Well, it’s just a flash program known as PSPWXP that is made to run on your PSP and not the real Windows Vista or XP which you install on your pc.

So what do you get using PSPWXP?
A whole new GUI- Windows XP/ Vista look
Desktop like the one you see in Windows Xp/ Vista
Windows Start menu
Loads of games (Battleships, Blackjack, Box-InBreakout, 5 Card Stud, Hangman, Guess Country, Checkers, Connect 4, Demolition, Draw Poker, Face, Memory, Mind Reader, Minesweeper, Pegs, Pong!, Reflex Test, 8 Queens, Rock Paper Scissors, Squares, Switch Off, Tetris, Tic Tac Toe, Tower of Hanoi, Yahtzee)
Loads of applications (Browser Info, Calculator, Calendar, Conversion, Country Info, Day Born, Distance calc, File Viewer, Games Lists, Internet, Periodic table, PSP Draw, Roman No., State info, Stopwatch, Text Editor)

How to install PSPWXP on your PSP?
First download your preferred OS (windows xp/ vista) from below. Extract the zip file to a separate location. Connect your PSP via USB. Copy the PSPEXP folder to your memory stick root. Now go to your PSP browser in your PSP and delete browser cache and set the cache to “Do not Use” and select “OK”. Now turn off your PSP by holding the turn off button on your PSP. Now start your PSP. Go to internet browser, in the address bar enter the following “file:/pspwxp/inder.htm” and press enter. That’s it now you should be able to enjoy Windows XP/ vista on your PSP.

Follow the below video tutorial for detailed instructions on installing PSPWXP on your PSP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPlapHhm7H0

Files for download:
Windows XP on PSP- PSPWXP 3.5
Windows Vista on PSP- PSPWXP 3.8

How to Right Click Defragment a Drive in XP and Vista

Joel — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:51:52 +0000

Here’s a short useful tutorial which will help you to add a defragment option to the right click menu. It’s pretty useful as whenever you feel like defragmenting a particular drive you can do it instantly by right clicking on it and selecting defragment instead of starting defragmenter and selecting the drive to defragment. Here’s how you get it done:

In Vista:

Download AddDefragToDriveMenu Registry Hack from here[link2].

It’s a .zip file, extract it. You should find three files. Double click on AddDefragToDriveMenu.reg.

A new box will popup, click ‘Yes’.

In XP:
Download context_defrag.zip from here and extract it. Double click on context_defrag.vbs to run it.

The above box will popup, click ‘Ok’
Now go to My Computer and right click on any drive, you should be able to see an option to Defrag in the menu.

How to Make a Folder or File Super Hidden in Vista and XP

Joel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:12:04 +0000

There are a few files in both windows XP and Vista which are super hidden. Such files cannot be viewed by changing the hide folder option to view all hidden files. I had previously written an article on viewing super hidden files over here. You can check it if you want to view super hidden files. Well, if we can view them can we make any file/ folder super hidden? Well, yes.

So, why do we really need to super hide files/ folders?
To keep files/ folders more secure and safe.
Super hidden files/ folders become system files and changing the super hidden property of these files and folders is normally not possible.
Super hidden files/ folders cannot be viewed even if the “view hidden files and folders” setting is ticked.

Here’s a short tutorial to super hide files and folders. It works for both XP as well as Vista.

Firstly create a file with the name “123”

Now, Go to Start> Run>cmd

Type attrib “filename or folder with complete path” +s +h (without quotes). For instance, if the folder you want to super hide is located in C: drive then the path is C:\123. You need to type “attrib C:\123 +s +h” without the quotes.

That’s it the folder is now hidden. You can do the same with files as well.

Create and Manage Keyboard Shortcuts to different Applications

Joel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:42:08 +0000

Creating keyboard shortcuts to various programs in windows is pretty easy. To do so, we right click on the shortcut, go to properties and change the shortcut key. But doing this for every application is a bit time consuming and difficult to manage. If you have many apps with shortcuts you might end up forgetting the shortcut keys.

I came across awesome software- Keyboard Shortcuts which not only allows you to create keyboard shortcuts to applications but also allows you to manage them with ease. The program is hardly 500KB in size and is freely available.

Using Keyboard shortcuts:
Keyboard Shortcuts is really user friendly, to add a new shortcut all you need to do is click on “Add new” which will open a box where you have to enter title, description and key combination. Once done, click on “insert”, the new key will be added. Now you can add and action to the shortcut by clicking on “Add action”. Here you can run a file, command or open a url. Once everything’s done click the “close” button and try out your new key combination. You can also delete unwanted shortcut key combinations anytime.

Features:
7,930 Possible Key combinations
102+ System Commands
Multiple actions for a single HotKey
Full support for URLs & File Shortcuts
Drag Drop URLs/Files
Option to Run tasks sequentially
Advance option to send messages to other windows
Advance option to reassign key to act as some other key

Download Keyboard Shortcuts