If you’re like me, you prefer the classic feel of Windows. Here’s how to switch to the classic theme in Windows Vista.
1. Click Start and open the Control Panel.
2. Click Appearance and Personalization.
3. Click Personalization.
4. Click Theme.
5. Select the Windows Classic option from the drop down menu and click OK.
Does browsing the network for shares take forever? There is a setting that disables checking for scheduled tasks when browsing the network. This can speed up things considerably if you’re on a larger network. This hack works on Windows 2000/2003/XP and Vista.
As with any registry edits, you might want to back it up before making any changes.
Perform the following steps:
1. Click Start > Run, type regedit and click OK.
Click the plus sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
then SOFTWARE
then Microsoft
then Windows
then CurrentVersion
then Explorer
then RemoteComputer
then NameSpace
Right-click on {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} and select Delete.
Click Yes to confirm deletion.
After you restart the computer, network browsing should be faster.
The Recent Items list is stored ongoing and forever. This can be a privacy issue. I don’t like the ability for somebody to possibly log into my machine and see what I’ve been doing. This setting will tell Windows Vista to clear the Recent Items upon every shut down.
1. Click the Start button and type gpedit.msc in the Start Search box. Press Enter.
2. Expand the following: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
3. Right-click the Clear history of recently opened document on exit and click Properties.
4. Click Enabled and click OK.
Now when you shut down Windows Vista, the Recent Items will clear itself every time.
How to create custom shortcuts to launch applications in Windows XP and Vista.
1. Right-click on the icon for the application and select Properties.
2. Click once in the Shortcut key field and then you can press the keys on your keybord that you would like to use to launch that application. In the example below I used Ctrl + Alt + N to launch Firefox.
In Windows Vista, Network Discovery enables your computer to be seen on the network. It also enables you to see other computers on the network.
To enable or disable Network Discovery, perform the following steps:
1. Click Start and type network in the start search box.
2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. Scroll down arrow all the way to the right of Network Discovery. Click on or off theTurn on network discovery radio button and click Apply. Click Continue if prompted by UAC.
If you are unable to drag and drop icons onto the Start menu and nothing happens when you right-click an icon, there is a setting that enables and disables this ability.
1. Right-click the Start button and choose Properties > Customize
2. Check Enable Context Menus and Dragging and Dropping.
3. Click OK.
Now you should be able to right-click on icons and get a menu as well as drag and drop items to the Start menu.
How to change the color of the Aero glass windows in Vista.
1. Click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization.
2. Click Window Color and Appearance.
3. Select the color you want, and then click OK.
How to select a new desktop background or wallpaper in Windows Vista.
1. Right-click a blank area of the Desktop and select Personalize.
2. Click Desktop Background.
3. Select a desktop background from the list or click Browse to select your own. Click OK when you’re done.
How to uninstall a Windows Update in Windows Vista.
1. Click Start > Control Panel > Classic View > Windows Update.
2. Click Installed updates in the bottom left corner of the Windows Update Control Panel, under the heading See also.
3. To uninstall an update, right-click the update and click Uninstall.
4. Click Yes on the Uninstall an update dialog, and then click Continue if prompted by the UAC.
Did that last Windows Update hose your system? When was it installed? What’s the name of it? Here’s an easy way to find out.
1. Click to Start > Control Panel > Classic View > Windows Update.
2. Along the top portion, click View update history.
3. Click Installed Updates
4. You can sort the updates by Name, Status, Type, or Date. You can also right-click each update and select View Details to access the details for that update.
See also:
Uninstall a Windows Update in Vista
How to enable NAP or Network Access Protection on a VPN connection in Windows Vista.
Network Access Protection (NAP) allows administrators to ensure ongoing compliance with health policies.
To enforce NAP on a VPN connection, perform the following steps:
1. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
2. In the Services Console, double-click on Network Access Protection Agent.
3. Change the Startup type to Automatic and click OK.
4. Select Start > Run and type napclcfg.msc and press Enter. Click Continue on the UAC prompt.
5. Left click on Enforcement Clients and under Details right-click Remote Access Quarantine Enforcement
Client and select Enable.
6. Restart windows.
Read more… »
You’ve got your system in perfect working order. You’re about to install that major update and you want to be sure you can revert back to the state your system is in now. Manually create a system restore point.
To do so, perform the following steps:
1. Click the Start orb and open the Control Panel.
2. Under System and Maintenance, click System.
3. Click the System protection link.
4. If prompted by UAC, click Continue. The System Protection tab should appear.
5. Click Create… to start the process of manually creating a restore point.
How to enable Internet Connection Sharing or ICS on the host Windows Vista computer.
1. Click Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Manage Network Connections.
2. Right-click the connection that you want to share and choose Properties.
3. Click on the Sharing tab. (Only available if you have more than 1 connection)
4. Check the box for Allow Other Network Users to Connect Through This Computer?s Internet Connection.
Now any computer connected on the same network will be able to use this computer to obtain an Internet connection.
Enable or disable offline file caching in Windows Vista.
Offline file caching enables copies of files to be cached on local computers. It helps if a network connection to a shared resource is lost.
To access these settings, perform the following steps:
1. Right-click the shared folder and select Properties.
2. Click the Sharing tab.
3. Click Advanced Sharing.
4. Click Continue if prompted by User Account Control.
5. In the Advanced Sharing box, click Caching.
6. Here in Offline Settings the default setting is Only the files and programs that users specify will be available offline. You can set it to All files and programs that users open from the share will be automatically available offline. If Optimized for performance is selected, all programs will be automatically cached so that they can be run locally. If you don’t want to share programs, you can select Files or programs from the share will not be available offline. Click OK when finished.
How to enable or disable Microsoft Update in Windows Vista.
1. Click to Start > Control Panel > Classic View > Windows Update.
2. Click Change Settings.
3. Under Update service, check Use Microsoft Update to enable Microsoft Update or uncheck it to disable it. Click OK when finished.
4. Click Continue if prompted by User Account Control.
How to use the Easy Transfer Wizard to migrate your date over to another PC.
Windows Easy Transfer is supported with Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 4, Windows XP Service Pack 2, and Windows Vista.
You can use one of the following to transfer the data to the other PC:
To start the Windows Easy Transfer Wizard, perform the following steps.
1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Windows Easy Transfer.
2. Click Continue in the User Account Control dialog box. You may need to enter a username and password for an Administrator account.
3. Click Next and follow the instructions.
How to change system icons to older versions for system icons such as Computer, Recycle Bin, Network and Internet Explorer.
1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Change Desktop Icons.
2. Click on the icon you wish to change and click Change Icon.
3. Browse to WindowsSystem32shell32.dll
4. Select an icon and click OK.
You can also change non-system icons by right-clicking an icon and selecting Properties, then Change Icon and performing steps 3 and 4.
How to hide and unhide icons in the notification area or systray in Windows Vista.
1. Right-click an empty area of the notification area and select Properties.
2. In the System Icons area, you can check or uncheck the icons that you wish to show or hide. In the Icons area, to always show all icons, you can uncheck Hide Inactive Icons, click OK.
3. You can show or hide other non-system icons by clicking Customize.
4. Here you can use the dropdown to select Hide When Inactive, Hide, or Show from the drop-down list for each program. To revert back to the default settings, you can click Click Default Settings. Click OK when done.
How to setup a VPN connection in Windows Vista.
1. Click Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Set up a Connection or Network.
2. Select Connect to a Workplace then click Next.
3. If you have an existing connection, select No, Create a New Connection and click Next. Otherwise you can skip this step.
4. Click Use My Internet Connection (VPN) and follow the instructions provided. Be sure to enter the correct internet address, username and password along with a name (you can name it anything).
To use the connection you just made, click Start > Connect To and right-click the VPN connection and click Connect. To disconnect, you can right-click the VPN connection in the Connect To window and choose Disconnect.
Prevent the screen saver or sound from interrupting your presentation. Optimize your computer for a presentation using the Windows Mobility Center.
1. Click the Start orb button.
2. Type mob in the Search Search box, and click Windows Mobility Center.
3. Click Presentation Settings.
4. Check the box for I am currently giving a presentation.
5. Set the options to your liking. You can check or uncheck the boxes to Turn off the screen saver, Set the volume to: and Show this background.
6. Click OK.
7. When you’re about to give your presentation, click Turn On in the Windows Mobility Center window.
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