Add Additional Clocks in Vista

Windows Vista provides us with an option to add additional clocks for other time zones. Up to two additional clocks can be added. These clocks will be displayed when you click or move your mouse over (hover) the clock displayed on the taskbar. I don't know how useful they will be, but if can't find any uses, you might as well play around with them or use them to show off! The steps to add additional clocks are given below.

Works On: All Versions

Step 1: Open the "Control Panel" by clicking on the control panel option in your start menu.

Step 2: Select "Clock, Language, and Region" option from the options displayed in the start menu.

Step 3: Under "Date and Time", select "Add clocks for different time zones". The following "Date and Time" window must be displayed.

Step 4: To display the clock, check or place a tick mark beside the "Show this clock" option.

Step 5: Select the time zone for your clock from the list of available time zones.

Step 6: Enter a display name that's meaningful and click "OK".

This new clock will be displayed when you hover your mouse over the clock in the taskbar. You can add another clock using the above method. Go ahead, try it out.

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, Additional Clocks, Clock, How to, Features

Use check boxes to select multiple items in Windows Vista

Did you know that you can use check boxes to select your files in Vista? Gone are the days where you had to hold CTRL and select the files if you had to select many items to perform some actions. This option in Vista is not enabled by default. Here are the steps to enable this option.

Works On: All Versions

Step 1: Open "Control Panel" by selecting Start and then clicking the Control Panel button.

Step 2: Open "Appearance and Personalization" section in the control panel.

Step 3: Under "Appearance and Personalization" choose "Folder Options". Choose the "View" tab from the list of tabs displayed at the top position of the window. The following window must be displayed.

Step 4:  Scroll down through the list of options and find the option highlighted in the above figure. The option is "Use check boxes to select items". Place a tick mark or check the check box besides that option.

Step 5: Click on "OK" and that is it, you are ready to use check boxes to select multiple files on your Windows Vista machine.

Once you start using this option, you would wonder why this was not thought about earlier!

Happy selecting!

 

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, Check boxes, Select, Multiple Items, Select Multiple Items, Folder Options

Show RUN command in Start Menu

Unlike the previous versions of windows, Vista does not place a shortcut for the RUN command in the start menu by default. However, we can customize the start menu to show the RUN command. Here are the steps to be followed to show hide the RUN command.

Works on: All Versions

Step 1: Right click on the taskbar where your open windows and programs are listed and choose properties.

Step 2: "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window would show up. Select "Start Menu" tab.

Step 3: Click on "Customize..." button.

Step 4: Scroll through the list of available options and find "Run command". Check or place a tick mark in the check box beside "Run command" to show the Run command in the Start Menu. Uncheck or clear the tick mark, to hide the Run command.

While in this window, you can also configure a lot of other options and choose how each the items in your start menu behave.

Step 5: Click OK. Again click OK in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window.

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, Start Menu, How to, Run command, properties

COM Surrogate has stopped working - Error in Vista

While browsing through your media folders in Vista, you might have experienced the COM Surrogate has stopped working error. The most likely causes of this error are the codecs and COM components that are installed by the various not Vista compatible applications you might have installed. DivX, VLC and Nero to name a few.

There are two solutions for this problem.

1. Disable Thumbnails.
2. Install ffdshow codec.

Disabling thumbnails is of course not a good solution. So, you must try installing the ffdshow tryouts codec found here (link opens in new window). At the time of writing this post ffdshow tryouts official release is ffdshow tryouts beta2 updated on March 22, 2007. Just download the official beta2 package and install it by running the downloaded package.

This should fix COM Surrogate has stopped working error in Vista. This solution might not work for everyone, but it works for most users.

If the above method did not solve your problem, try upgrading your version of Nero or DivX to the latest release.

Technorati tags: COM Surrogate, Vista, Windows Vista, COM Surrogate has stopped working, ffdshow, error, solution

Search Folders in Vista

In Windows Vista, a new type of folders called the search folders have been introduced. These search folders are virtual folders that can be used to save your searches. Yes, literally save your searches. Here is how it works.

Say you want to search for all the Microsoft Word files in your computer. Just open the search explorer by selecting Start -> Search or by typing Windows Key + F. You will be presented with a search box where you have to type in "*.doc". By default, Vista searches only the indexed locations in your PC. Indexing locations helps Vista find files within them quickly. We can modify the default locations by using the advanced search option that can be invoked by clicking on the "Advanced Search" option present on the right top of the explorer window under the search box. After hitting search Vista will display all the Microsoft Word files that are found in the location you specified.

Many of us do these kind of common searches on a regular basis. This is where Vista's search folders come into play. Once you have finished searching for what you need, you can save your search to a folder called a search folder. This folder can be named anything and can be placed anywhere on your PC. The next time you want to repeat the search, just open the search folder you have saved. Vista automatically updates your search folders in the background and presents you with fresh and up-to-date results.

Once you start using search folders, they become indispensable. The searches are stored in a folder called searches under your user account. (Start -> User Name -> Searches). It is better to leave them there so that you need not search for the search folders again!

Here is a link to Advanced Search Techniques from Windows Team Blog.

Advanced Search Techniques : Windows Vista Team Blog

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, How to, Features, Search, Search Folders, Virtual Folders

SuperFetch - Vista

Have you noticed that an XP machine that is left turned on overnight, appears to be slow? It does not appear to be slow, but is slowed down.

When your PC running XP is left idle, processes like virus scanning, indexing and defragmenter start executing. The memory allocated to the applications you normally used is now allocated to these processes. Your applications are moved to a page file on the hard drive. Now when you try and open these applications, the operating system has to copy the application back into memory from the hard drive. This takes some time and results in decrease of responsiveness.

This problem has been addressed in Vista. Vista comes with SuperFetch to enhance performance of your system. SuperFetch monitors your application usage and tries to make these applications more responsive by placing them in the memory, ready to start. When a PC running Vista is left idle, the processes I mentioned above, like indexing and virus scanning get invoked and perform their tasks. This causes your favorite applications to be pushed in to the page file on the hard disk. When these processes complete execution, SuperFetch fetches your applications from the page file into the main memory (with out you invoking them). So the next time you try starting those applications, they are up and running in no time.

As you might have understood by now, SuperFetch is a very useful service and disabling it is not recommended.

 

Technorati tags: SuperFetch, Windows, Vista

Using Vista Media Center - 10 May 2007 - IT Week

We all must have used Windows XP's media center one time or the other. Paul Monckton at ITweek talks about the things that are new in Windows Vista's media center.

Link to Using Vista Media Center - 10 May 2007 - IT Week

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, Media Center, Features

Enable telnet in Vista

You must have noticed that telnet is disabled in Windows Vista by default. Here is how to get telnet up and running.

Works on: All Versions

Step 1
Click Start or the Vista logo on your taskbar.

Step 2
Select ' Control Panel' from the start menu.

OR

Type ' Control Panel' into the search box in the start menu, and click ' Control Panel' under programs from the search results.

Step 3
Click Programs' in the control panel.

Step 4
Click ' Turn windows features on or off' under ' Programs and Features'.
If you have User Account Control turned on, Vista will ask for your confirmation. Click continue.

Step 5
A window with the title "Windows Features" should pop up.
Scroll down and find "Telnet Client". Check or place a tick mark in the check box beside "Telnet Client".

Step 6
Click "OK". Vista will take its time and install telnet client.


That's it. You should be able to use Telnet as you did in your previous version of windows.

 

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, Telnet, how to

Disable User Account Control in Vista

Works on: All versions

Step 1

Click start or the Vista logo on your tacks bar.

Step 2

Click on Control Panel in the start menu.

OR

Type 'Control Panel' into the search bar. In the search results, click on "control panel" under programs.

Step 3

Click on 'User Accounts'. (On business edition of Vista, click on User Accounts again on the next screen).

Step 4

Click on 'Turn User Account Control on or off'.

Step 5

Vista's UAC will ask for your permission. Click 'continue'.

Step 6

Clear the tick mark inside the check box beside 'Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer'.

Step 7

Save all your work and restart the computer.

PS: You might want to read this if you are not sure about turning off Vista's UAC!

 

 

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, UAC, User Account Control, How to

User Account Control (UAC)

You might have seen the Apple advertisement mocking Vista's user account control. Is UAC that bad? Let us see ...

Say you downloaded a piece of software, for ripping your music cd's, from your favorite p2p program. Do you know for sure, that the software you downloaded does not harm your computer? If this software tries to access your computers device manager or registry editor or decides to perform any other task that requires administrator privileges, Vista's UAC would pop up and ask you for your confirmation.

Consider the situation where the software you have installed is a malware and it tries to access your registry. Vista would pop-up a notification asking for your permission to continue with the programs request. Now, why would you require access to the registry for ripping music?! No reason whatsoever. You just click 'cancel' and uninstall the software you have downloaded.

Vista's UAC has just saved you and your computer!

Read more about UAC here .

That's my take on UAC, use the comments to express your view.


PS: If you are still not convinced and want to disable Vista's UAC, I will be blogging about that in my next post.

 

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Vista, UAC, User Account Control