Passionate System Administration: December 2008

1. Fixing your problem - First thing to try -- Reboot.
.. a. Maintain your computer - ScanDisk.
.. b. Maintain your computer - Defrag.
.. c. Help yourself - Use the Help files.
.. d. Update your files and programs at Windows Update.
.. e. Next step - Don't be afraid to call your tech support.
2. Right-clicking may be the answer.
3. Making your taskbar reappear if you lose it.
4. Open in New Window when browsing.
5. Which program to 'Open With'.
.. a. Changing the default program that opens a file type.
.. b. Change the default program easily using the 'Open With' option.
.. c. Editing file types.
6. Display all file extensions.
7. Improve Visual Settings such as smoother screen fonts.
8. Using Windows Explorer.
.. a. Add programs to the 'Send To' menu.
.. b. Organize the Start > Programs menu.
9. Show Speaker icon in the system tray.
10. Microphone setting.
.. a. Test your microphone using Sound Recorder.
11. Reduce programs in 'StartUp' folder for better performance.
.. a. Use MSCONFIG to reduce programs on Startup, and improve System Resources.
.. b. Checking and keeping tabs on your System Resources.
12. Changing your background wallpaper.
.. a. Adding more background wallpapers.
13. How to take a screenshot.
14. Always try to save image files as JPGs and GIFs.
15. View image files as thumbnails in any folder.
16. Use Winamp to convert MP3s to WAVs.

1.) Reboot. This will solve most temporary problems. Just go to the Start button > Shut Down > and choose 'Restart'. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+Del keys, and press them again after you see the the 'Close Program' box. Rebooting will give your computer a fresh start and you'll be surprised how often this will fix your problem. It also will be one of the first suggestions tech support will recommend if you call them (see Tip #1c).
1a.) ScanDisk (error checking utility) is one of the regular maintenance functions you can perform on your computer to keep it in top working order. To access it, double-click My Computer, then right-click on (C:) and choose Properties, and go to the 'Tools' tab. Another way to access it, is to go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools. Click the 'Check Now' button (if you are on the 'Tools' tab), then choose 'Standard' as the 'Type of test'. Don't put a check beside 'Automatically fix errors'. Instead let it notify you of each individual error, and you can decide which action to take. A Thorough test will take a lot longer, and you can do this occasionally to see if the surface of your Hard Drive is okay.
You may have to disable some programs from running in the background (such as an Anti-Virus program) in order to perform ScanDisk. You can do this by pressing the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys at the same time (once only). This will open the 'Close Program' box. Highlight a program you wish to close, and click 'End Task'. If you have problems with ScanDisk stopping and a dialog box says that something is writing to your Hard Drive, 'End Task' everything except Explorer and Systray. You should also disable your Screen Saver. To do this, right-click on a blank spot on your Desktop and choose Properties, (or go to Control Panel) to open Display Properties. Go to the 'Screen Saver' tab, and select '(None)' from the drop-down menu, and click OK. Also, don't use your computer while it is doing a ScanDisk.
1b.) When you've completed a ScanDisk you can do a Defrag. Defrag defragments your hard drive, hence the name. Basically it organizes all the files on your Hard Drive that end up being scattered the more you use your computer (installing and uninstalling programs, and saving and deleting files). A Defrag may take 2-3 hours or longer, depending on a number of factors: the size of your hard drive, how long since your last defrag, speed of your computer, etc. Close any programs running in the background and also disable your Screen Saver first as explained in the ScanDisk tip. I also recommend defragging when you don't need the computer, such as overnight. Don't use your computer when doing a Defrag. If you perform ScanDisk and Defrag every week (if possible), your computer should run smoother and faster.
1c.) Use the Help files on your computer. Often, you can help yourself, if you don't mind searching and reading a bit. For Windows Help, go to the Start button, and you will see Help in there. There are different tabs you can use to find what you are looking for: Contents, Index, and Search. If you can't find the answer using one tab, try another. Also, each program on your system should also have Help. It's usually the last word located on the top toolbar of most programs.
1d.) Make sure you have all the latest updates for your computer by going to Windows Update.
1e.) Don't be afraid to use your tech support if you have it. With most brand-name computers (and peripherals, and Internet Service Providers) part of the purchase price includes tech support, so take advantage of it. Call that phone number (hopefully it's toll-free). You might be surprised how quickly and easily they can help you. If you aren't helped to your satisfaction, call back and get another technical support representative to assist you.
2.) Do you ever get stuck using a program and you don't know what to do next? Try right-clicking. That is, click the button on the right side of your mouse. Sometimes the option you need is just a right-click away.
3.) Have you ever lost your Taskbar from the bottom of your screen, and you have no idea how to get it back? A couple of things may have happened. You may have shrunk it down accidentally. You may see it as just a thin line at the bottom of your screen. To get it back, place your mouse pointer at the bottom of your screen until you see a two-headed arrow. Hold the left mouse button down, and drag the mouse pointer up until your Taskbar is restored. If that doesn't work, you may have the Taskbar set to 'Auto hide'. To change this you have to open the Start menu with your keyboard. If you have a Windows key on your keyboard, press it (it's the one with the Windows logo, and located on the bottom row between the Ctrl and Alt keys). If not, press the Esc and Ctrl key at the same time. When the Start menu opens your taskbar should also be visible again, at least temporarily. To make sure 'Auto hide isn't selected, go to Start > Settings > Taskbar & Start Menu > Taskbar Options tab. Make sure you have a check beside 'Always on top', but don't put a check beside 'Auto hide'. Click OK.
4.) Next time you are surfing or browsing the net, try the following. Instead of left-clicking a link, right-click and choose 'Open in New Window' (or 'Open Link in a New Window' if you right-clicked on an image link like a button or a thumbnail -- which is a small picture that usually links to the larger full-size image). Doing this keeps the original page open, and opens a new page which you can close when you are done viewing. You won't have to hit the 'Back' button and wait for the original page to load because it never left your screen. You can actually right-click several links, opening all of them in new windows. This is a good tip when you have several thumbnail images that you wish to view as full-size images. Try opening in a new window by right-clicking here.
5.) Sometimes when you double-click on a certain file type, the file doesn't open, or it doesn't open in the program of your choice. This tip as well as 5a, 5b, and 5c will provide some information on how to deal with this.
Have you ever tried to open a file and an 'Open With' box appeared asking you which program you want to use? If you don't know which one to use try choosing Notepad first. You could also try your image viewer (i.e. IrfanView on Cool Programs page), Internet Explorer (iexplore), or Media Player. DON'T put a checkmark in the box beside 'Always Use This Program' just yet. That would make it the default program. This means that everytime you double-click that type of file, this will be the program that is assigned to open it. It might not be the best option.
For example, Paint might be the default program on your computer for BMP files. If you double-click a BMP file, it automatically opens in Paint. Paint is a good option to be the default program for BMP files. However, you don't want to make a program the default unless you know that it is the best program on your system to open a specific file type. First, try and see if it works. If it does, you can try to open the file again and this time put the check in the box beside 'Always Use This Program'. Now it will be the default program that opens this type of file
5a.) Most programs provide you with an option to set them as the default program that opens certain file types. Usually, the best way to do this is to open the program that you want to be the default, and look for either Options, Preferences, or Configuration. Look for some of the following: 'associate this program with these file types', 'make this program the default for these file types', 'file formats', or 'extensions'. Pick which file types you want to associate with this program, usually by checking them, and click OK. You may have to reboot before these settings take effect. If that doesn't work, you can reinstall the program you would like to be the default, and during installation you should be asked which file types you wish to associate this program with.
5b.) There is another way you can change associations manually, but I would recommend trying Tip #5a first. Left-click once on a file to highlight it, and then while holding the 'Shift' key down on your keyboard, right-click. In the right-click context menu, you should now see 'Open with...'. Clicking that will bring up the 'Open With' box mentioned in Tip #5. Select the program you wish to use in the list, and click OK. If you don't see the program you want, click 'Other' and browse your system to locate it. Once you've selected the program, put a check in the box beside 'Always use this program to open this file type'. Leave the box empty if you are unsure. You can always add a check later after you've tried it first. Make sure you click OK.
5c.) You can also edit file types by going to Start > Settings > Folder Options (or in My Computer, go to View > Folder Options). On the 'File Types' tab you will see all the extensions (file types) and the programs that are associated with them. You can scroll through the list to either locate the extension or the program that you wish to change.
Suppose you are looking for an .nfo file. It should show you that it opens with MSINFO32. Let's say we want to edit or change some details, and make Notepad the default for .nfo files. Highlight 'NFO File' in the list, and click on the 'Edit' button. Now you will see the 'Edit File Type' box. You may see one or more actions listed under 'Actions'. The one in bold will be the default action. Highlight the action you wish to change (most likely 'open'), and click the 'Edit' button. You now have another box that shows you the path to the program that opens this file (i.e. C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSINFO\msinfo32.exe). You need to know where the program is located that you want to make the default because you are going to click the 'Browse' button and find it (or just type in the path if you know it). In this case you want to look in the Windows folder and highlight Notepad.exe, and click 'Open'. The path should now read C:\Windows\Notepad.exe. Click OK to close all boxes.
6.) You can have Windows display file extensions so that you can easily view file types on your system. For instance, if you have a file called 'sample', you can have it displayed as 'sample.exe' or 'sample.jpg' instead (depending on which file type it is). Sometimes it's very helpful to know the file type. To do this, open 'Folder Options'. You can either go to Start > Settings > Folder Options...or open My Computer (or My Documents) and go to View > Folder Options. Once Folder Options is open click on the View tab. Under 'Advanced Settings' about 8 lines down you will see 'Hide file extensions for known file types'. Make sure there is NO check in the box beside that. Click OK. Now you will be able to see all the extensions for the files on your system.
7.) Here's a couple of Visual Settings you might prefer to have on your system. Go to Start> Settings > Folder Options. Click on the View tab. Under 'Advanced Settings' scroll down to the bottom where it shows 'Visual Settings'. Make sure there is a check beside these two options; 'Show window contents while dragging' and 'Smooth edges of screen fonts'. Click OK.
8.) Get comfortable using Windows Explorer. This program is basically a file manager, showing you every file and folder on your system. It is an invaluable tool. You can launch Windows Explorer a number of ways. One of the simplest is to press the Windows key (it's the one on the bottom of row of your keyboard with the Windows logo) and the 'E' key at the same time. You can also go to the Start button, click Run, type in Explorer, and click OK. The program is actually located in the C:\Windows folder, but you probably also have a shortcut in Start > Programs > Accessories. You might even want to put a shortcut on your desktop. I'll explain a couple of the things you can do with Explorer below. First let's make sure you have Explorer displaying files and folders correctly. Open Explorer and go to View, Explorer Bar, and make sure you put a check beside Folders. You should now see two panes with the one on the left displaying a tree of the directories (which is just another way of saying folders) on your system, and the one on the right displaying the folders and/or files in whichever directory you have selected in the left pane. Now you are ready to use Explorer.
8a.) You can add programs to the 'Send To' menu using Windows Explorer. When you right-click on a file it gives you the option to send the file to a specific program or location using the 'Send To' option. If you don't see a particular program or folder listed, you can add it. To do this, open Windows Explorer. In the left pane, find the 'Windows' folder. Click the plus (+) sign to the left of it. You will now see the folders within the 'Windows' directory. Scroll down until you can see the 'SendTo' folder. You will need to know where this is later.
Now, locate the program you wish to add to the 'Send To' menu. It most likely will be somewhere in the C:\Program Files folder. You have to find the exact file that launches the program (it should be an EXE file, refer to Tip #6 if you don't see any EXE extensions). Once you've located it and have it displayed in the right-side pane, drag it to the 'Send To' folder in the left pane.
If you click on the 'SendTo' folder, you will see the programs that are listed on the 'Send To' menu. You can delete any that you don't use. You can also rename any of them. For instance, the one you just dragged there may need to be renamed. It may be called 'Shortcut to blank.exe' for example. You can right-click on this file and choose 'Rename'. You can remove the 'Shortcut to' and '.exe' parts from the name if you want. Now when you right-click on a file and choose 'Send To' you should see the new program that you've added.
8b.) Would you like to reorganize your Start > Programs menu? If you download and install a lot of programs, you probably have a really long list in the Start > Programs menu. It may even go right off your screen which requires that you scroll up or down to find what you are looking for. This is a nuisance and time-consuming. You can organize this menu using Windows Explorer (see Tip #8).
In Windows Explorer, go to the C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs directory. To do this, find the 'Windows' folder in the left pane, click the plus (+) sign beside it. Now, scroll down to the 'Start Menu' folder. Click the plus sign beside it. Now, click on the 'Programs' folder. In the right pane you will see all the folders and programs that are displayed in your Start > Programs menu.
In this directory, you can create new categories (folders), and move files and folders into them. Right-click on a blank area in the right pane and choose New > Folder. You can name it whatever you want. The folders that I've created are named as follows: Audio & Multimedia, Graphics, Miscellaneous, Messengers, Games, Utilities, Web Browsers & Add-ons, Other, etc. You can name them whatever means something to you. The idea is to create folders that describe the programs you have in your Start > Programs menu.
Let's say you create a new folder called 'Utilities'. Drag any other folders or programs that you would consider a Utility into this folder. Leave the 'StartUp' folder alone (refer to Tip #11 for more info). Also leave the 'Accessories' folder alone. Keep creating folders, and dragging the appropriate files or folders into each one. You can even check your progress by clicking on the Start button and going to the Programs menu. When it's done you should have 8-12 folders, grouping all of your programs by type, making it much easier to locate them. This will really clean up your Start > Programs menu.
9.) Do you ever lose the speaker icon in your System Tray (that's the area beside your clock that shows the programs you have running), and don't know how to get it back? Here's how. Open 'Control Panel' either by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel, or go to My Computer > Control Panel. Find the Multimedia icon and double-click it. On the Audio tab at the bottom you should have a check beside 'Show volume control on the taskbar'. Click OK, and that's it.
10.) Now that you have the speaker icon in your system tray (see Tip #9), let's suppose you are having problems with your microphone. Let's make sure you don't have it muted. Double-click the speaker icon. This opens the Volume Control panel. (You may see a Microphone control here, but this isn't the one you want. This one just allows you to hear your own voice through your speakers as you speak. It's actually best to have this one muted, or not selected.) You need to open the Recording Control panel now. Go to Options, and click on Properties. In the Properties window, put a dot beside Recording. Under 'Show the following controls' make sure there is a check beside Microphone. Click OK. Now you see the Recording Control panel. You will see a control for Microphone. If on that control it says Select at the bottom, make sure there is a check in the box beside that. If it says Mute instead, make sure there is NO check. You can also adjust the Volume level if necessary. That's it. Close the Recording Control panel.
10a.) You can test your microphone using Sound Recorder. You can look for it in Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment (or go to Start > Run > type in sndrec32, and click OK). Once it's open you can record by clicking the RECORD button which is the one with the red circle. The button with the rectangle is the STOP button, and the one with the triangle is the PLAY button. Sound Recorder doesn't have a lot of options, and one problem can be setting the length of the recording. You can try going to File, and select New. This might make it longer, but you can't set the exact length. You can also try some of the features like Insert, and Effects.
11.) If you feel your system is sluggish and running slow maybe you have too many programs running in the background that launch at that startup of Windows. The more programs that are running, the more System Resources that are used (see Tip #11b). You can do something about this. First, go to Start > Programs > StartUp. All the programs in here start when Windows starts. You can remove any programs that you think are unnecessary. Just click on the one you want to remove, and drag it to the left so that it's out of the Startup folder, and into the Start > Programs menu now (or you can use Explorer to do this...see Tip #8b), or drag it into a folder called Disabled Startup Items (if you have one). You can always drag it back in later if you need to. You can also delete the program completely if you are sure you don't need it (it's just a shortcut that points to the actual program).
11a.) In Windows 98 you can remove programs that launch on Startup by going to Start > Run > type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Go to the Startup tab. Every item that is checked, launches when Windows starts up.
You can remove individual programs that launch when Windows starts by unchecking them. You can disable ALL of the programs from starting by going to the General tab, and unchecking 'Load startup group items'. You might do this if you are trying to diagnose some sort of problem.
If you uncheck programs from starting, it doesn't mean that you can't use most of these programs, but only that they won't be running in the background. Some programs such as your Anti-Virus or Firewall should not be unchecked as they need to be running in the background (unless you are disabling them for a reason).
If a program listed on the Startup tab has a strange name, and you don't recognize it, by doing a little work, you can still figure out which program it is. Go to Start > Find > Files or Folders, type the name in, and click the Find button. It will show you which folder the file is in, and this should give you an indication of which program it is. You could also find some information on the program name by using a search engine such as Google. If you have a brand name computer, one item you might see with a strange name could be your Easy Access Keyboard buttons. You'll need this item to be running if you want to use the special buttons on your keyboard. If you have tech support, you could also call them for more information on a specific entry.
Some of the entries you'll want to keep checked are ScanRegistry, SystemTray, TaskMonitor, LoadPowerProfile (you'll probably see 2 of these, and it's recommended you leave both of them checked), your Anti-Virus, and Firewall (if you have one). The other ones are up to you. Some of it is trial and error.
Click OK when you are done unchecking items. You can reboot when it asks you to, or you can wait until later. If you wait, it just means the settings won't take effect until you reboot. If you've removed some items, the next time you restart Windows you should see an improvement in System Resources free (see Tip #11b). If you feel that certain programs are necessary to be running in the background (launching when Windows starts), just go back into the MSCONFIG Startup tab, and check the items again.
Here's some info that I found on the Net about some of the items listed on the MSCONFIG Startup tab which I mentioned above.
ScanRegistry
C:\Windows\scanregw.exe /autorun
Microsoft does not recommend disabling Registry Checker. This tool automatically guards against problems that may render your computer unusable. ScanReg scans the registry for damage and empty data structures (keys marked as deleted), and backs up configuration files at startup once each day. If registry damage is detected, the tool sets a damage file in the registry to invoke the real-mode tool, and you are prompted to restart the computer.
TaskMonitor
C:\Windows\Taskmon.exe
The Task Monitor tool that is included with Windows 98 and Windows ME records the disk-access patterns of programs when they are started. Task Monitor stores this information in log files in the Applog folder. Task Monitor also records the number of times you use a program. The Disk Defragmenter tool uses this information to optimize your hard disk so that programs that you use frequently are loaded faster.
SystemTray
C:\Windows\System\SysTray.Exe
Systray.exe is a tool for system taskbar notifications. The taskbar provides a location for programs and hardware devices to display icons. For example, if your computer supports advanced power management (APM), a Battery Meter icon can appear on the taskbar. Do not quit this program.
LoadPowerProfile
Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
On the Startup tab of MSCONFIG, you may notice two entries for LoadPowerProfile, since it runs twice. This is by design. LoadPowerProfile is started twice to provide a power management profile before and after you log on to Windows. LoadPowerProfile starts as a machine service so that the default power management settings are available when Windows 98 starts. It is loaded again after you log on to Windows to process preferences for individual users of the computer.
Here are some good links with more information about Startup Items:
- Detailed Info
- Comprehensive Startup List
- Startup List
- Startup List
11b.) You can check your System Resources by right-clicking My Computer, choose Properties, Performance tab. After a fresh reboot, and before you open any programs you should have at least 80-85% free (ideally over 90%). The more programs that are open or running will decrease your resources. If yours are low after a reboot you may have too many programs running in the background that launch on Start-up (see Tip #11 and Tip #11a). If they are just low in general after your computer has been on awhile, try closing some programs. Close programs if you are below 30% System Resources free. Some programs unfortunately may steadily drain resources until you reach zero. If you can't restore your System Resources to an acceptable level you may have to reboot. Windows comes with a Resource Meter that you can have running in the System Tray (beside the clock) which you can mouse over to see your resources. You can run this by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools. It will actually use 2% resources just to monitor your resources. An alternative that I use is TClockEx which doesn't use any resources and can be configured to display your System Resources beside your clock. My clock display looks like this for example: 5:47 (75%). I can always see what my System Resources are. This can come in very handy.
12.) You can change the wallpaper on your desktop quite easily. Just right-click on a blank area of your desktop, and choose Properties. You should be viewing the Background tab of the Display Properties window. You'll see a section called Wallpaper, and you can scroll through this list and choose one. Highlight one in the list and you'll see it displayed in the preview window. You can also decide how to apply the wallpaper. At the bottom right you will see Display. Click on the drop-down arrow and choose either Center, Tile, or Stretch. You can click Apply, and OK when you are done.
12a.) If you want to add more of your own wallpapers to the list, it's quite simple. When you find a wallpaper on the Net that you want to save permanently to your hard-drive, follow these steps. Right-click on the image (wallaper), and one of the options you'll see is 'Save Picture As' (you will also see 'Set As Wallpaper' or 'Set as Background', but this is more of a temporary option to see what the wallpaper will look like on your Desktop... it's good to try this first to see if it's worth saving). If you are saving it, click on 'Save Picture As' and it will open the 'Save Picture' dialog box. At the top you should see 'Save In:', and a location specified. For wallpapers to be listed in the Display Properties window, they need to be saved in the C:\Windows folder. You will now browse your computer, and choose in which folder to save the wallpaper by clicking on the drop-down arrow. It will show a listing of directories on your computer. Double-click on the (C:) icon. Now you will see all the folders in the (C:) directory. The one we want is the Windows folder. Double-click it. Now it should read 'Save in: Windows'. You can rename the file if you want. Just type whatever you want beside 'File name:', (or leave it if the name is satisfactory). For wallpapers to work the file type is important. Where it says 'Save as type:', click on the drop-down arrow and choose Bitmap (*.bmp). Now all you have to do is click Save. Now if you right-click on your desktop, choose Properties, Background tab, you will see the saved wallpaper listed.
13.) Did you know you can take a screenshot of anything on your screen? Just press the 'Print Scrn' key on your keyboard (or 'Alt key + Print Scrn' if you just want a screenshot of the active window). Now open an image viewer/editor program like MS Paint, or IrfanView. Go to Edit, and then Paste. That's it. You can now save this image if you want.
14.) When sending a picture in an email, or adding an image to your website, always try to use a JPG (.jpg, .jpeg) or a GIF (.gif) file, instead of a BMP (.bmp) file. A JPG is a compressed image file, which is much smaller in file size than a BMP file. Because a JPG has a smaller file size it will load much quicker on a web page. It also takes a lot less time to send and receive JPGs through email. Even though a JPG is a compressed file it still retains most of the image quality of a BMP file. Usually you can't even tell the difference. An image viewer program like IrfanView will let you convert a BMP file by resaving it as a JPG or GIF file. Just choose JPG (JPEG) or GIF as the file type when you are saving it. JPG is generally better for photos, and GIF is better for computer generated images or cartoons. Try both and compare file size and image quality to see which format better suits your needs. (*Note - Right-click on any file's icon and choose Properties to see the file size).
15.) Here's a great tip for viewing image files in any folder as thumbnails (meaning a small picture of the original image). This is ideal if you have a folder with lots of photos, wallpapers, or cartoons. Sometimes it's difficult to locate an image file solely based on the name. It would be much easier if you could see thumbnails of all these files. Here's how to do it. Right-click on the folder you would like to view this way, and choose Properties from the menu. At the bottom of the Properties box, you should see 'Enable thumbnail view'. Put a check beside it, and click OK. Now open the folder and go to View. First make sure you don't have a check beside 'as Web Page'. Right below that you should now see an option Thumbnails. Put the dot beside that. Now you can see all the image files in that folder as thumbnails.
16.) You can use Winamp to convert MP3 files to WAVs so that you can burn them on a CD that will play in your stereo. First make sure you have a recent version of Winamp. Open Winamp and go to Preferences (there's a few ways to do this...one way is just press Ctrl+P, or click on the top dot out of five you see on the left side of the main player). Once in Preferences, highlight Output listed under Plug-ins. In the list on the right, highlight the Nullsoft Disk Writer plug-in. Click on the Configure button. Select a folder that will be your output folder for the WAV's you create. Click OK. Close Preferences. Load an MP3 into Winamp, and press Play. You won't hear any music playing while it's decoding. When it's done, you can check your output folder, and you should see the newly created WAV file in there. Don't forget when you are done, to go back into Preferences - Output, and change the plug-in back to Nullsoft waveOUT plug-in, so that it will play audio files again.
17. Customize your Internet Explorer button toolbar.
.. a. Add the Text Size button to IE.
.. b. Increase the Text Size in IE using your mouse scroll wheel.
18. Repair Internet Explorer.
19. Use sounds to improve your computing experience.
20. Disable Content Advisor by editing the Registry.
21. Search on a web page using CTRL + F.
22. How to install Tweak UI.
23. Four ways to get into Safe Mode.
24. Always open browser window set to a specific size such as maximized.
25. Open links in a maximized window... sort of.
26. Open Internet Explorer maximized from a shortcut.
17.) If you have Internet Explorer 5 or later you can customize the button toolbar. If you right-click on a blank spot at the right end of the button toolbar you should see the option Customize. You can also go to View > Toolbars > Customize. Once it's open, you'll see the buttons you can add on the left, and the ones you already have on the right. You can move a button to the other side by highlighting it and either clicking on the Add or Remove button. You can also highlight a button on the right side and move it up or down. If you look at your actual toolbar on your browser while you are doing this, you will see how it positions the button. Add the buttons you want, and remove the ones you don't want. Place them where you want using the 'Move Up' and 'Move Down' buttons. You can also use Separators to divide them into groups. You can add and remove Separators just like buttons. You can also play with the Text and Icon options at the bottom left. Click 'Close' when you are done and enjoy your new customized button toolbar.
17a.) One toolbar button that's very handy to have on Internet Explorer is the 'Text Size' button. (See tip above for adding toolbar buttons). It's labelled simply as 'Size', with the icon being two upper-case A's, and a two-headed arrow. This button will let you quickly and easily adjust the text size on most web pages. It's great for those pages with the tiny hard-to-read text. Use this button to make the text larger and you won't be straining your eyes. If you don't want to add this button to your toolbar, you can also adjust the Text Size by going to View > Text Size.
* Note - If 'Text Size' has no effect on a certain web page, this is most likely because the site uses CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to define the font size. The text size is specified in the CSS instead of the HTML. In Internet Explorer, you can disable some aspects of CSS (or use your own CSS) if you go to Tools > Internet Options > 'General' tab > 'Accessibility' button.
17b.) You can increase the Text Size in Internet Explorer quickly and easily with your mouse wheel. Press the CTRL key on your keyboard, and scroll your wheel to either increase or decrease the Text Size.
18.) If you are having problems with Internet Explorer you might want to try repairing it. You can do this by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Find 'Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet Tools' (or something similar) in the list, highlight it, and click the Add/Remove button. You'll now see an option 'Repair Internet Explorer'. Select that option and click OK. Reboot your computer when you are prompted.
19.) You can use sounds to improve your computing experience. An example of this is using a sound to notify you when an application has been closed. Some applications may take 5 or 10 seconds to completely close, and it's beneficial to let a program completely close before you open another one. Setting a sound to notify you of this is easy. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds. Under 'Events' you should see all the Windows commands listed first. Find 'Close program' and highlight it. Now you can Browse to select which WAV file you wish to use. I use the Start.wav (it's a very subtle click sound) which on my computer is located in C:\Windows\Media. If you use the Sound Pack with Internet Explorer 4 or 5 you should have this WAV on your computer. If you don't have this WAV, find and use another one. Now whenever you close a program you should hear an audible click (or whatever sound you chose) when the program is completely closed. You can also program all sorts of other commands to have sounds associated with them.
20.) If you are having problems with the Content Advisor in Internet Explorer you can edit the Registry to solve the problem. If you've never edited the Registry before, here's what you do.
Go to Start > Run > type REGEDIT, and click OK. Navigate to the following key (folder) by clicking the + signs.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Ratings
When you click on the Ratings key (folder) in the left pane, you'll see a value in the right pane named 'Key'. Right-click on it and choose Delete. Close the Registry Editor.
Now, if you open Internet Explorer and go to Tools > Internet Options > Content tab > 'Content Advisor' section > 'Disable' button, you'll be able to enter a new Password, and click OK.
21.) Have you ever had trouble finding a word, phrase, or sentence on a web page? On your keyboard try pressing CTRL + F. This opens a 'Find' dialog box. You can type in whichever words you are looking for, and find each instance by pressing the 'Find Next' button.
22.) A lot of people seem to have problems installing Tweak UI, so here is a solution.
Go to this site to download Tweak UI, and it explains how to install it. Or read what I've typed below.
It works best if you unzip the files to their own folder. Create a folder on your Desktop called TweakUI. Unzip the files to this folder, C:\Windows\Desktop\TweakUI. Go inside that folder and right-click on the tweakui.inf file and choose Install.
It should work without a problem. You should now see a Tweak UI icon in the Control Panel.
23.) Here are four ways to get into Safe Mode.
Option 1. - To start Windows 98 in Safe mode using the F8 key: 1. Choose Start > Shut Down > Restart the Computer. 2. When you see the message, "Starting Windows. . . ," press the F8 key. (The "Starting Windows. . . " message appears on a black screen immediately before the Windows startup screen.) 3. Choose Safe Mode from the Windows startup menu. (Do not select Safe Mode with Network Support.) 4. Click OK in the Desktop dialog box that indicates Windows is running in Safe Mode. If "Safe Mode" does not appear in each corner of the Desktop, repeat steps 1 through 3.
Option 2. - Go to the Start button > Shut Down > Restart in MS-DOS mode. Once in DOS, at the command prompt, type "win /d:m" without the quotes, but with the space after "win". This will automatically load Windows in Safe Mode.
Option 3. - Go to Start > Run > type MSCONFIG > click OK. On the General tab click the Advanced button. Put a check beside 'Enable Startup Menu' and click OK to close all boxes. Restart your computer. In the DOS Startup Menu select '3. Safe Mode' from the options. Don't forget to go back later and remove the check you added in MSCONFIG, so that your computer doesn't always begin with the Startup Menu.
Option 4. - To start Windows 98 in Safe mode using the Ctrl key: 1. Press the Ctrl key and choose Start > Shut Down > Restart the Computer. 2. Release the Ctrl key when you see the Desktop dialog box that indicates Windows 98 is running in Safe Mode.
24.) If you want a browser window to open to a specific size, then do the following.
Open only one browser window, set it to a certain size, and close that window. The next time you open a browser window it should return to that size, unless otherwise specified in the shortcut (see Tip #26). This means that if you set a browser window size to Maximized or even Full Screen, and close that window, the next time you open a browser window, it will be the same size as when you last closed it.

25.) It's true that you can't make hyperlinks on a web page open in a 'Maximized' or 'Full Screen' window, but you can make them open in a window that has been stretched to the maximum size (one that fills your screen).
Do the following. Open only one browser window. Position it so that the top left corner of the browser window is at the top left corner of your screen. Move your mouse pointer to the bottom right corner of the browser window until you see a two-headed pointer. Press and hold the left mouse button down, and drag the mouse to resize the window. You should be able to resize the window to fill your screen. Now, close the window. If you re-open a browser window, or open a link in a new window, your browser window will now always fill your screen.
26.) If you want an Internet Explorer window to always open Maximized when you launch it from a shortcut, do the following.
Right-click on your Desktop, choose New > Shortcut. In the 'Command line' field type the following (or Copy and Paste):
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" (including quotes)
Click Next, name it whatever you want and click Finish.
Right-click on this new shortcut and choose Properties. On the Shortcut tab, for the 'Run' field select 'Maximized' from the drop-down menu and click OK. You can drag this shortcut onto your Quick Launch bar if you want.
** IMPORTANT - Backup or export the Registry before making changes. **
1. Remove shortcut arrows from icons.
2. Add 'Open with Notepad' to the right-click context menu.
3. Add 'Open with (any program)' to the right-click context menu.
4. Add 'Open With...' to the right-click context menu.
5. Add Toolbar Wallpaper to all your windows.
6. MS Paint Fix (MSPaint Fix) - Open and Save JPG and GIF files.
7. Typed URLs - Remove them from Internet Explorer.
8. Lock icon positions on your Desktop.
9. Make JPG and GIF files open in Internet Explorer again.
10. Restore Preview and Thumbnail feature for image files.
11. Change Internet Explorer Window Title.
1.) Would you like to remove the shortcut arrows from all your icons? You can use a program like TweakUI to do it, or you can edit the Registry manually.
Go to Start > Run, type REGEDIT, and click OK.
When the Registry Editor opens, click the + sign beside HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and locate the key called 'piffile'.
Click on it and in the panel on the right, right-click on the string 'IsShortcut'.
Select Rename and give it any name you want ('WasShortcut' for example).
Still under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, find the key called 'lnkfile' (LNKFILE).
Perform the same operation on its 'IsShortcut' string.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
2.) You can add 'Open with Notepad' to the right-click context menu so that when you right-click on any file you have this option. A bonus is that any unknown file (meaning unassociated file type) will open in Notepad if you double-click on it.
Run REGEDIT.
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ * \shell ( * is the first key (folder) listed).
If the 'shell' key doesn't exist, right-click on the * key and choose New > Key, and name it 'shell' (without the quotes).
Right-click on 'shell' and choose New > Key.
Name it 'Open with Notepad' (without the quotes).
Right-click on the new 'Open with Notepad' key and choose New > Key.
Name this key 'command' (without the quotes).
In the right pane double click on default, and enter this Value Data: notepad.exe %1
Click OK and close Regedit.
3.) You can add any program to the right-click context menu. When you right-click on any file you'll have the option to use this program to open the file. I'll use an image viewer program I have called IrfanView as an example.
Run REGEDIT.
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ * \shell ( * is the first key (folder) listed).
If the 'shell' key doesn't exist, right-click on the * key and choose New > Key, and name it 'shell' (without the quotes).
Right-click on 'shell' and choose New > Key.
Name it 'Open with IrfanView' (For the purpose of my example only. You use the program name that you are adding).
Right-click on the new 'Open with IrfanView' key and choose New > Key.
Name this key 'command' (without the quotes).
In the right pane double click on default, and enter the path to the program as the Value Data. (i.e. C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe %1).
Click OK and close Regedit.
4.) You can add 'Open With...' to the right-click context menu so that when you right-click on any file you have this option. This is ideal when you want to open a file with a program other than the default.
Run REGEDIT.
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ * \shell ( * is the first key (folder) listed).
If the 'shell' key doesn't exist, right-click on the * key and choose New > Key, and name it 'shell' (without the quotes).
Right-click on 'shell' and choose New > Key.
Name it 'Open With...' (without the quotes).
Right-click on the new 'Open With...' key and choose New > Key.
Name this key 'command' (without the quotes).
In the right pane double click on default, and enter this Value Data:
c:\windows\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1
Click OK and close Regedit.
5.) Add Toolbar Wallpaper to all your windows so that you have something more interesting and pleasing to the eye rather than the default plain gray or beige. By using a BMP file as your toolbar wallpaper, you can add some color or even an image. Here are a couple of screenshots of what you could make your Internet Explorer Toolbar look like: Gold and Chrome.
Run REGEDIT.
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar (if the Toolbar key doesn't exist, right-click on the Internet Explorer key, and choose New > Key, and name it Toolbar).
Click on the Toolbar key in the left frame so that it shows the contents in the right frame.
If there isn't a string called BackBitmap, create one by right-clicking on a blank area in the right pane, and choose New > String Value, and name it BackBitmap.
For the 'Value data', type in the path that points to a BMP file which you would like to use as your Toolbar Wallpaper. (i.e. C:\Windows\example.bmp or C:\My Documents\sample.bmp)
If you'd like Toolbar Wallpaper only on Internet Explorer 5 windows create a string called BackBitmapIE5 instead of BackBitmap.
*Note - This tip also works with IE5.5 and IE6. Regardless of your IE version (IE5 or higher), you would still name the string BackBitmapIE5 if you want to apply Toolbar Wallpaper only to Internet Explorer windows.
Here are some toolbar wallpaper BMPs that you could use. Click on a link to see the BMP and then right-click on the image to save it to your hard drive. Don't worry about the images being small; they will be seamlessly tiled across your toolbar.
- ChromeConsole.bmp
- GoldConsole.bmp
- GreenConsole.bmp
- PinkConsole.bmp
- PurpleConsole.bmp
- qchrome.bmp
6.) MS Paint Fix (also known as MSPaint Fix -- the "MS" is for Microsoft) - This fix should work for Windows 98/ME/2000, but it may not work for Windows 95.
Does MS Paint (MSPaint) allow you to save as a BMP file, but you can't save as JPG or can't save as GIF? Can you open JPG files with MS Paint, but you can't open GIF files? Many people have this problem, yet they know someone else that can use MS Paint to "Save As JPG" or "Save As GIF", and/or "Open GIF" files. Why does MS Paint provide these extra "Open" and "Save" options on some computer systems? It's because those systems have the necessary graphics filters to allow MS Paint to open and save JPG and GIF files. Where did they get these graphics filters? Some applications such as Microsoft Office, FrontPage, and Image Composer install these filters. Before you read any further you should check this link and see if it applies to you:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q298/5/80.ASP
My "MS Paint Fix" should allow you to use MS Paint to Open and Save JPG files, and Open and Save GIF files. The quality of the saved GIF with MS Paint may be reduced because of the limited 256-color palette (See here for an explanation and workaround). A better alternative for opening and saving JPG and GIF files would be to download and install a great FREE image viewer called IrfanView (MS Paint is still better for individual pixel editing, so it's good to have both). You can read more about IrfanView and find a link for it on my Cool Programs page by clicking here.
If you want to proceed with the MS Paint Fix, you should first do a search on your hard drive to see if you have the jpegim32.flt and gifimp32.flt filters. If you don't have the Graphics Filters you can download them here (I've updated them to more recent versions):
JPEG Graphics Filter: Jpegim32.flt
GIF Graphics Filter: Gifimp32.flt
You need to make sure you have both filters in the following folders:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\grphflt
C:\Windows\MsApps\Grphflt
You may already have the JPEG Filter on your system, but only in one location. If that is the case, Copy and Paste it to the other location. Once you have the JPEG Filter in both locations, you may only need to do a simple Registry edit to be able to "Save As" a JPG.
If you already have the JPEG Graphics Filter on your system (and in both locations as stated above), but MS Paint still won't let you "Save As" JPG, you can manually edit the Registry to correct this. It's a simple fix. Go to Start, Run, type REGEDIT, and click OK. Go to this key by clicking the + signs beside the keys (folders):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Graphics Filters\Export\JPEG.
Click on the "JPEG" key (folder) in the left pane, and you'll see a String Value in the right pane with the name "Extensions". Make sure under the "Data" column it shows only "jpg". If it shows "jpg, jpeg", double-click on the "Extensions" string and from the "Value data" field remove "jpeg" so that it only reads "jpg" (without the quotes).
If it worked, this edit allows you to "Save As" JPG. If it didn't work, or if you want to be able to also open and save GIF files, read on.
If the filters are in the correct folders, but you still can't "Save As" JPG or can't "Save As" GIF, you'll need to make some changes to the Registry. You can do it manually, but it's easier if you download the REG files listed below (see here), and Merge them with your Registry.
Before you do anything, I would recommend backing up the Registry. Go to Start > Run > type REGEDIT, and click OK. In the Registry Editor click on the + signs beside the keys (folders) until you get to this location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Graphics Filters.
If you click the + sign beside Graphics Filters you'll see Export and Import below it. Click the + sign beside each of these. You'll want to export (backup) any keys named GIF or JPEG. To do this, click on the key to highlight it, then go up to the top left of the Registry Editor window where it says "Registry", and choose "Export Registry File". Give it a name like JPEG_export.reg, or GIF_import.reg depending on which one you are saving. For "Export range" you should see the dot beside "Selected branch" and the path to the correct key. Save it to My Documents or whichever folder you choose so that you can find it easily if you need it later.
* An additional note - The reason you exported individual keys instead of the whole Registry, is because if you try to Import or Merge a backed-up Registry, it doesn't remove Registry entries. It only adds any new entries. For more information on how to actually restore an entire previous Registry file, click here. To remove entries you have to manually delete them from the Registry. You can export the whole Registry, and import it later, but you'll still have to manually delete any entries you don't want. If you do have any problems with this MS Paint Fix, you can delete the Registry entries you added, and then find your backed-up versions and right-click on them and choose Merge. Your Registry will be restored to the way it was.
If you don't want to edit the Registry manually, or you don't know which edits to make, here are the four REG files. You can download them individually, or download a ZIP file containing all four. Once downloaded, to use the REG file, right-click on it and choose Merge. Remember that it's a good idea to Export (backup) the original keys before you Merge the new ones.

Download this REG file to be able to open JPG files in MS Paint.
It will add a key to the Registry at this location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Graphics Filters\Import\JPEG
Download this REG file to be able to open GIF files in MS Paint.
It will add a key to the Registry at this location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Graphics Filters\Import\GIF
Download this REG file to be able to save JPG files in MS Paint.
It will add a key to the Registry at this location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Graphics Filters\Export\JPEG
Download this REG file to be able to save GIF files in MS Paint.
It will add a key to the Registry at this location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Graphics Filters\Export\GIF
Or download a ZIP file of all four REG files.
Once you've completed all of this, the change is immediate. Open MS Paint and go to File. If you select "Open", and/or "Save As" you should now see JPEG Filter and GIF Filter both listed in the drop-down menu as "Files of type". If you have problems with any of the Registry entries that you've added, delete them, and restore your exported (backed-up) versions.
Working with GIF images in MS Paint can be frustrating. You are limited by the palette that is attached to the GIF image that you've opened. Sometimes you'll notice that you can't change certain colors to the color that you want. (I have a workaround for this in the next paragraph.) You'll also notice that there will be a major loss of quality in some images if you try to save as a GIF, because GIF images are limited to a 256-color palette. If you try to save a JPG (which can consist of up to 16 million colors) as a GIF (which can only consist of 256 colors) you'll definitely notice the loss of image quality. JPG files are best for photos and shouldn't be saved as GIF files. GIF files are best for graphics (especially on the Web) and many computer generated images, cartoons, and animations.
A workaround for working with GIF files in MS Paint is to do the following. Open the GIF file in MS Paint and immediately save it as a 24-bit Bitmap (BMP). Now you can work on this BMP file which will have a palette that consists of 16 million colors. When done, save it as a GIF file. If you use more than 256 different colors while working on it as a BMP, some will still be lost when you try to save as a GIF because a GIF file is still limited to a 256-color palette. But at least now you'll have a way to edit the GIF file and won't be subject to the palette limitations of MS Paint when working with GIF files.
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7.) Remove typed URLs from the Address bar drop-down list in Internet Explorer.
Often people want to remove typed URLs that appear in the Address bar drop-down list for Internet Explorer, but are unsure how to do it because entries can't simply be deleted individually. Here are a few things you can try.
Method 1
One of the most popular methods is to open Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > General tab > press the 'Clear History' button. In most cases, this will delete all the entries from the Address bar. In some cases, it may be necessary to restart your browser or computer to notice any changes. It should be mentioned that you are not only deleting items from the Address bar, but you are also deleting your entire History of all the sites you've visited, not just the ones you've typed in. This method might be overkill for some.
Method 2
Another option is to go to the Start button > Settings > Taskbar & Start Menu > 'Start Menu Programs' tab > 'Documents menu' section > press the 'Clear' button. This will remove all the entries from the Address bar, but once again it also removes other items such as anything listed in the 'Run' drop-down list and all items in the MRUD (Most Recently Used Documents) list. If you feel this option is also overkill, read on.
Method 3
The typed addresses aren't stored in a folder -- they are stored in the Registry. In fact, you can remove individual addresses by editing the Registry. Go to Start > Run > type REGEDIT, and click OK. Navigate to the followign key (folder) by clicking on the + signs:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs
If you click on the TypedURLs key in the left pane, you'll see the contents in the right pane. You can right-click on any of the entries in the right pane and choose Delete. Each entry is numbered url1, url2, etc. If you delete any entries you may have to rename (by right-clicking) some entries so that no numbers are skipped. For instance, if you delete url3, but you don't rename another entry url3, only url1 and url2 will be displayed when you click on the drop-down arrow of the Address bar. All the URLs following the deleted URL will not be displayed.
Method 4
Use the FREE program EditURLs. This is my favorite method. It's the easiest and doesn't require fiddling around with the Registry. You can delete or edit individual entries. You can save a Master Copy of the URLs that you do want to keep, which can be restored at any time. You can also sort the order of the URLs. With EditURLs, you are only deleting or editing URLs that appear in the IE Address bar drop-down list. Nothing else is affected.
8.) Here's a great tip/trick for saving the position of your Desktop icons.
If you click here, it will take you directly to the tip on another site. It's the fifth one from the bottom called 'Lock Desktop Icons'.
Download the layout.zip which includes a couple of files from the Windows NT4 Resource Kit. To implement it, follow the instructions from the link that I posted above, or continue reading.
Place the Layout.dll in C:\Windows\System (Win95/98/ME) or %systemroot%\System32 (WinNT/2000/XP), and then double-click (Merge) the Layout.reg.
From now on, whenever you right-click on the 'Recycle Bin' or 'My Computer' icons, you will see a new option: "Save [or Restore] Desktop Icon Layout". There are several third-party tools that also do this, but these files are free and only 14 KB in size.

I've tried it, and it works great. It's especially useful if you've ended up in Safe Mode, and when you return to Normal Mode, because of the change in screen resolution, all of your icons have been moved. It's also handy if you want to experiment with some different screen resolutions or locations for your icons.
I should mention this tip/trick works with all versions of Windows. Yes, the files are from the Windows NT4 Resource Kit, but as long as you put the DLL file in the correct folder for your OS (which is explained on the website from the link above), and then Merge the REG file, it will work.
* Note - If all your icons are lined up in columns on the left side of your screen, that means you have Auto Arrange checked. A better way to set up your Desktop is to create groups of icons. To do this, right-click on a blank area of your Desktop, and go to Arrange Icons > Auto Arrange, and make sure it is unchecked. Now you can move your icons wherever you want. Once you have it the way you like it, you can lock it in by saving your Desktop Layout using the tip above.
9.) When Windows 9x is installed, Internet Explorer is the default image viewer. However, over time, some systems lose the ability to open image files in Internet Explorer. This usually happens when other image programs have been installed or uninstalled.
These two Registry fixes will restore Internet Explorer as the default viewer for JPG and GIF files. This may be necessary if you are having problems opening JPG and GIF files, or if they are opening in another program.
Personally, I prefer to open JPG and GIF files with IrfanView, but if you are having problems opening JPG or GIF files, or you would just prefer to have them open in Internet Explorer, try these fixes. Once the fixes are done, you can always assign another program to open JPG and GIF files.
An added bonus of these fixes is that it will restore the Preview and Thumbnail option for JPG and GIF files. Some systems lose these options when the Registry entries for JPG and GIF files are modified, corrupted, deleted, etc.
Download the necessary fix below, and save it to your Desktop (or My Documents) so that you can find it easily. Once downloaded, double-click on the REG file and Merge it with your Registry. If double-clicking doesn't work, right-click on the REG file and choose Merge.
All-In-One JPE/JPEG/JPG Fix
All-In-One GIF Fix
10.) Are you not able to preview image files (i.e. GIF or JPG) in a folder? Do image files not display when you choose the View > Thumbnails option?
If this is the case, I have a fix for you. It should fix GIF and JPG files, as well as many other common image file types.
Download and Save this imagefix.reg file to your Desktop (or My Documents) so that you can easily find it. Double-click it to Merge it with your Registry. If double-clicking it doesn't work, right-click on it and choose Merge.
11.) You can change the text that appears on the Title Bar of Internet Explorer. Most likely yours reads "Microsoft Internet Explorer", but you can change it to anything you want.
Run REGEDIT.
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
Click on the 'Main' key in the left frame so that it shows the contents in the right frame.
If there isn't a string called 'Window Title', create one by right-clicking on a blank area in the right pane, and choose New > String Value, and name it Window Title.
For the 'Value data', type in whatever you want to appear on the IE Title bar.
Click OK and close Regedit.

Passionate System Administration

Monday, December 22, 2008

WINDOWS GENERAL TIPS

Windows System keeps restarting

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