Registry Tips

How to add Items to the Start Button using Registry?

The best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the Start button setting.

First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

In Registry Editor go to left hand panel, and find HKey_Classes_Root / Directory / Shell

Here Right click on Shell folder option and add any new key with descriptive name and Press Enter.

Now Right click on that key and give the full path of that program you are interested to add in start button. For example if you want to add MS excel, then full path may be C:\program file\msoffice\msexcel.EXE.

Now close all open programs and check the changes in your computer Start button.

Automatic Screen Refresh Tips
When you are working on your local computer and want to refresh any changes in your system automatically. For example some times you are watching sports results, online Stock Exchange rates and any changes to your hard drive but these changes are not usually refreshed until you press the F5 key on your keyboard.

To refresh your screen automatically you should edit your system Registry. But the best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the updates automatically.



First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

In Registry Editor panel go to the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet /

Control / UpdateMode

Here in right hand side panel edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 5.

Now restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.


Set the status of NUM LOCK key enabled automatically.

You can manage the status of NUM LOCK key is different for each user and you can set its status enable or disable when user logon. NUM LOCK status is disable by default and if you want your NUM LOCK key is enable automatically before a user presses CTRL+ALT+DEL to log on. You need to edit the registry of your computer to change this status enabled.

Follow the given steps to enable NUM LOCK key :

Click Start button then type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

Here locate the location to:

HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard

Here in right side panel, double click on the value InitialKeyboardIndicators then change its value data from 0 to 2.

Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.


Changing the Location of Special Folders
You can modify the registry to change the location of special folders like:

My Documents

Favorites

My Pictures

Personal

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Double click on any locations you want to change and alter the path

Logoff or restart for the changes to go into effect

Edit windows registry keys to change the Registered Owner.
Some time you entered the wrong or invalid registered owner information when you installed the windows. But don't worry you can change the registered owner information any time, if you have little knowledge about editing windows registry.

Follow the given steps to change the owner name:

First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

Here locate the location to:

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion

Here in right side panel, double click on RegisteredOwner and here change its value data as you wish.

Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Changing the Title on Windows Media Player

You can change the title bar for the Windows Media Player

Start Regedit

Go to HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ WindowsMediaPlayer

Create a string value of TitleBar

Give it a value of whatever you want to appear in the title bar

WIN XP FAQS

Windows XP

Q: What is Windows XP
A: Windows Whistler is the codename for the first joint business/consumer version of Windows built on the Windows 2000 OS kernel for stability and reliability. To bring the reliability of Windows 2000 to consumers as soon as possible and address the feedback from enterprise customers, Microsoft planned a phased release of Windows XP beginning with the desktop products and followed by the server versions. Windows XP is their first step in the Microsoft .Net vision.

Q: Is Microsoft Windows XP available in multiple languages?
A: Windows XP Professional will be available in 24 official localized versions in addition to English. In any version of Windows XP Professional, you can display, input, edit, and print documents in hundreds of languages. Users or administrators can set regional preferences, fonts, keyboard layouts, sorting orders, date formats, and so on.

The biggest innovation for multilingual computing is the Windows XP Multilingual User Interface Pack, which is an add–on to the English version of Windows XP Professional. It lets users or administrators switch the User Interface (menus, dialogs and help files) from one language to another. This feature greatly eases desktop administration in multilingual computing environments, and lowers cost of desktop change and configuration management considerably. The Multilingual User Interface Pack will be available in 33 languages.

Q: What version of DirectX does Windows XP ship with?
A: Windows XP ships with DirectX 8.1, which improves pixel shaders among other things.

Q: What is the difference between the 32 bit and 64 bit versions?
A: The 64-bit versions will only work on newer Intel Itanium based hardware. The 32-bit versions will work on all x86 compatible hardware (such a Pentium III, 4, etc).

Q: What is the official website?
A: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp

Q: What is "Whistler Embedded"?
A: "Whistler Embedded" delivers all the richness, innovation and reliability of the next generation of Windows in a componentized version, enabling embedded developers to select specific technology components required for a wide range of unique Windows Powered devices. Beta 1 is focused on delivering embedded client scenarios, including Windows-based terminals, advanced set-top boxes and retail point-of-sale kiosks. With the release of "Whistler Embedded" beta 1 coming only 48 days after release of the "Whistler" beta, Microsoft underscores its commitment to bringing the latest, most innovative Windows technology to the embedded space in a timely manner."

Q: What features of Windows XP have been taken from Windows Me?
A: Features such as System Restore, Image acquisition and more. Most of the new multimedia features in Windows Me will be carried over to Windows XP.

Q: What is new in Windows XP?
A: Microsoft is aiming to combine the features of Windows Me for the consumer, and reliability of Windows 2000 for businesses and power users into one new operating system. This operating system in its' different flavors will have new features for gaming, multimedia applications, audio, etc. in addition to features for networking, development, etc. for businesses and power users.

Q: What flavors is Windows XP available in?
A: Windows XP comes in Professional and Home versions. Servers will also come out, but they are still in beta testing.

Q: What is the difference between Home and Profession editions?
A: The features of Windows XP Home and Pro are very similar. Most home users have no need to the Professional version. Windows XP Pro has support for multiple processors and an encrypted file system. There are also a few other differences, check them out here.

Q: What are the major new features?
A: Windows XP has many new features. Users upgrading from the 9x code will find the larges changes in terms of stability. Other great advances are built-in CD-R/RW support, Remote Assistance, a built-in firewall, and Device Driver Rollback. Find a complete feature list here for Home and here for Pro.

Q: What are the minimum requirements?

Here’s exactly what Microsoft says:

PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended

128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)

1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.*

Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor

CD-ROM or DVD drive

Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device


Q: What are the upgrade paths?
A: Both Home and Professional can be upgraded from Windows 98, Windows 98SE, and Windows ME. Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Home can all be upgraded to Windows XP Professional. Windows 95 is not a supported upgrade path from either version.

Q: What’s next for Windows development?
A: With SP1 complete, Microsoft will be working on Longhorn, the next consumer version of Windows. Longhorn isn't expected to hit stores till 2004 or later (probably later), so expect a second service pack in the works soon!

Q: What were the milestones in Windows XP development?
A: There were 6 major steps in the development of Windows XP:

Beta 1 – October 31, 2000, build 2296

Beta 2 – March 25, 2001, build 2462a

RC1 – June 29, 2001, build 2505

RC2 – July 28, 2001, build 2526

RTM – August 24, 2001, build 5.10.2600

SP1 RTM - August 30, 2002

Q: Does Windows XP have a new Graphic User Interface (GUI)?
A: Yes, Windows XP will have a "newer" look to it but will still have the basics of Windows we have grown accustomed to. The one that is debuted at the EMP is the "Luna" theme.

Q: What features does SP1 include?
A: Although Microsoft has developed a habit of not including new features, Windows XP SP1 was an exception to that rule. It included support for USB 2.0 and included a nifty, government-required tool that will let you hide MS products, if you want. It also included support for other version of Windows, like Media Center and Windows Powered Smart Displays editions (codenames Freestyle and Mira, respectively). Windows XP SP1 also includes bug fixes and other general improvements.

Q: Where can I download SP1?
A: SP1 should be available to download from Windows Update, but if you would like to order a CD or download the entire file, both can be obtained from Microsoft's website.

Q: What are some of the new visual features, what did they change?
A: The taskbar has been overhauled (icon grouping), and a new uncluttered notification area. Only the recycle bin is on the desktop - the rest are kept in a new, larger start menu.

Q: But what if we want to keep the classic look?
A: Well, luckily, it seems that you can keep either the classic look or the newer, XP look as default. The GUI should be sinkable to developers.

Q: What is fast user switching?
A: This is a new feature included in Windows XP. "Based on the Windows 2000 profiles, user accounts are created for all users during installation. As the default, passwords are not required, although users can create them if desired. A friendly new welcome screen featuring user names and pictures or icons rather than code names or aliases replaces the logon dialog box. Further, a new control panel applet makes it easy to add and edit user accounts. Each user has their own settings, including wallpaper, music, pictures, favorites, and so forth. In fast user switching, multiple users do not have to not log off when using a single computer. Instead, their accounts are always logged on, and they can switch quickly between all open accounts."

Q: Do you have a feature list from a developer's point of view?
A:

Windows XP employs Windows 2000 power management features

Graphics Device Interface Plus (GDI+) is the portion of Microsoft Windows.NET that provides two-dimensional vector graphics, imaging, and typography. GDI+ improves on GDI (the graphics device interface included with earlier versions of Windows) by adding new features and by optimizing existing features.

64 bit compatibility

Support for high density displays

Q: What are the design goals for Windows XP? What will it improve?
A:

Richer communications. Real-time voice, video and application-sharing will enable people to communicate more effectively.

Enhanced mobility. Mobile users' ability to access their information any time, anywhere will be further improved.

Improved help and support. Users will be able to easily connect to people and resources for help whenever they need it.

Simple digital photos and video. Windows XP will make it easy to create, organize and share digital memories.

Exciting music and entertainment. Windows XP will deliver the best experience for the discovery, download, personalization and playback of high-quality audio and video content.

Enabling of the "connected home." Windows XP will give people an easy way to share information, devices and Internet connections within the home.

Q: Will most of my programs from Windows 9* work in Windows XP?
A: Most programs that work on Windows 95/98/Me and NT will work on versions of Windows XP. As with Windows 2000, several compatibility updates are sure to made after the product is released. There will be problems running older DOS programs (if they will run at all).

Q: If I am a games player, should I go for Windows 2000 or Windows XP?
A: Definitely go for Windows XP for the simple reason that it is designed for both the business & consumer thus is more adept at games playing.

Q: What are Win32 classes? How many new ones are released with Windows XP?
A: Microsoft Win32 classes give you the means to manipulate a variety of objects. Objects can be divided into four main categories. There are 40 new ones. Check out the info here.

When Your Printer's Buffer Overflows........

Yes, the printer isn't perfect. When you give the printer more load than it can "remember" from it's memory buffer, it will either hang, stop, pause or abort the print and give you an error message. Here are a few ways to fight the problems.

Compress

From experience, I found out that a printer seldom or never encounter any buffer overflow from printing text. Rather, it is graphic files (up to 5 MB at a time) that crashes the printer. If you are printing multipage when you get errors, print one at a time. It may be painstaking but it sure beats having an error message. Now if a huge graphic file still makes your printer's buffer overflow, try to compress the current format you are using. If you are using Photoshop, save it as a normal or "flatten" (without layers) to lower the file size. You might want to try using GIF or JPEG. JPEG is a high-color compression method that can reduce up to 90% less. But saving in this format can be "lossy" (image looks a bit different than the original). I prefer GIF. Although the file size may be bigger in high-colors, but it looks better.

Go For The Upgrade

Most printers allow you to upgrade the memory. The more memory, the less buffer overflow. This is the best solution. Go to your nearest computer dealer to ask for a memory upgrade. Make sure they can get the exact company and model. It might cost a bit but hey, that's what upgrades are for!

Fighting Unknown Problems

Hardware problems are quite difficult to tackle, worse if under Windows. There was once when installing a software, I accidentally inserted the Audio hardware diskette. Thinking it was harmless, I went on, thinking I can always "undo" everything again. How wrong was I. The next moment I restarted Windows, I got the blue screen of death. Yeah, Windows is very nasty when it comes to hardware.

Find The Culprit

Always calm down. Try to solve the problem yourself before resolving to formatting or sending to your computer dealer. First, know what's happening and the cause of it. In my case, the installation must have overwrite my old setting and replaced the wrong file. There must be a reason why Windows is acting improperly.

Logging Back On

First, try to log back on. If you can't log into Windows, don't panic. Restart the computer. When the text "Starting Windows 98..." appears, press F8. A menu will appear. Choose "Safe Mode" to continue. Safe mode will take some time to load. When you are in Windows, go to Control Panel, System. Click on the Device Manager tab. Find the faulty hardware driver and delete it. Open autoexec.bat and config.sys (both are hidden files in your root directory) with notepad. If the hardware is a CD-ROM or sound card, it will probably write add some lines. Check whether there are backup file (autoexec.bak, autoexec.b~k e.g.) since most installation will back up the 2 important files. If there is, simply replace them with the backup files. If there isn't, put "REM " in front of every line that loads the hardware.

Repairing

When you restart, your computer is probably ok, since you have deleted all instances of the hardware drivers. But the hardware isn't functioning. re-install the hardware drivers, restart and you're done! If the problem persists, your probably have a system conflict go to the next page for more.

RAM Won't Work On New Motherboard

If you upgraded your motherboard and CPU to a brand new one, you might encounter with some RAM problems. Either the system seems slower or the total amount of RAM is displayed less than the actual amount during bootup (when you just power-up the computer).

The problem usually occur if you upgraded from a 486 to a Pentium or from non-EDO RAM to EDO. There are a few things you should know. In the older motherboards, you can slot in any RAM of any amount and run them smoothly. However, newer Pentium motherboards handle EDO RAMs differently. Every EDO RAM slots must run in pairs. For example, you can't plug in a 8 meg RAM with a 16 meg RAM and expect them to run together, producing 24 meg. Instead, you must have 2 RAM slots that contains the same amount of RAM (8 meg+8 meg or 16 meg+16 meg e.g) to have them running together.

Also a reminder, you can't plug in a single 32 meg RAM to produce 32 meg. You need 2 16 meg RAMs to produce that amount. So if you need 96 meg, you must fill the the RAM banks with a combination of (16+16 meg) + (32+32 meg). In short, every RAM must run in pairs. They must be placed side-by-side. You can't place a combination of 16+32+16+32 to get 64 meg. You need to place the same amount side-by-side like this: 16+16+32+32. Most motherboard has 4 empty banks for you to place your RAM. Newer motherboards has 6 empty banks. Still, you have to run them in pairs.

Older motherboards and non-EDO RAM don't have to run under this principle. That is why when you upgrade to a newer motherboard, it might not work. Now, back to the problem. Open the cover of your PC and check whether you RAMs are place in pairs side-by-side or not. If not, rearrange them. If you found out you have a combination of a mixture of amounts like: 4+4+8+16 meg, you have to plug one out, buy a new matching one, and replace it. (In this case, take out the 8 meg and by a new 16 meg to produce 4+4+16+16. You can take out the 16 and buy an 8 but that will be downgrading, isn't it?)

This should solve the problem. Also another reminder. SDRAMs don't have to run in pairs. Older motherboard only has 1 empty bank for SDRAM (however, newer ones have more banks). If you want 64 SDRAM, just buy one single 64 SDRAM slot, plug it out, and there you are! But, remember, SDRAM won't work together with EDO. If you plug them in together, the computer will either identify the amount of EDO RAM or SDRAM you have, not both. And it will also only utilize one of them.

More Than 64 Meg RAM On HX Motherboard

It has been a myth that Windows 95 won't work with more than 64 meg RAM. That is not true. But older motherboards do have problems with more than 64 MB RAM.

Motherboards with the Intel HX chipsets is one of them. You can upgrade to more than 64 meg RAM but you must be careful. the Intel HX chipset is built in such a way it requires an additional tag RAM chip used to cached the main memory. The main memory is cached to speed up memory access. Now the problem here is, the tag chip is only capable of handling a maximum of 64 MB. If more than 64 MB is installed, only the first (from the bottom) 64 MB is cached.

Most operating systems uses RAM from top to bottom and since only the bottom one is cached, the OS is using the top uncached memory thus slowing down your system and not utilizing your RAM to the fullest.

Some motherboards have no spare tag RAM socket so I'm sorry to say, you only have a limit of 64 RAM. Some motherboards have an extra tag RAM socket. Just order one from your computer dealer, plug it in, and you can happily increased the maximum of cached RAM to 128 MB.

In short, always check how many tag RAM chips you have before buying more RAM than the maximum allows or it might slow down your system instead of speeding it up.

Sound Card

A world without sound is boring. The same goes to computers. Imagine playing quake with the beeps from the PC speaker. The sound card is a piece of hardware to generate high quality sound. It enables your to listen to your CD, record voices with the microphone and playing your sound files.

Don't Throw Away Your Old RAM

If you have and old PC that utilizes old 32 bit RAM, don't throw it away. If you have and AWE (advance wavetable effect) sound card, with empty memory slots, you may plug it into your soundcard to load more instruments. Very useful. If you want, you can go to computer junkyards or dealer with old computers to find some old 32 bit RAM. You can get it for almost nothing.

More, more!

If you are using an AWE soundcard, you might want to get more voices or instruments. Go to your manufacturer's website and search for sound fonts. Like fonts, they are the same instruments but produces different sounds. The amount of sound fonts you can load at a time depends entirely on how much memory you have.

No Sound From Mike

An ageing sound card probably doesn't supply the DC voltage needed to power a new electrets microphone-the kind with a mini-stereo (ring-tip-sleeve) plug on the cable. If so, you'll need either an inline battery pack to power the new microphone, or an older dynamic microphone that doesn't need DC power. But the best bet is to throw it away and get a new one.

Monitor

The monitor is a television-like box except it is used in a computer for display. You can't use the computer at all without a monitor. The monitor is different from the television is many ways. It is flatter compared to the television. Television refreshes the screen by interlacing while the monitor is using non-interlaced functions. Monitors uses pixels to display, making it finer and better to display text.

Larger Resolution, Smaller Display

One thing you should know, since monitors measure by pixels, you should always set the resolution right. A larger resolution uses smaller pixels, making everything smaller but you have a larger view. The default is 640x480 but most prefer 800x600. For larger monitors, you can decide on 1024x800 or 1280x1024. Also remember, since there are more pixels, the higher the resolution, the slower the screen refreshes.

Decide On A Screen Filter

Although computer screens are just 30% of the radioactivity from the TV or less, you still might want to consider a screen filter. It helps filter up radioactivity. Never settle for a cheap screen filter. A lousy one won't filter the screen - it just darkens it. Always make sure that it won't make everything look dark. Some good screen filters provide a wire to clip it at the back of the casing to lose the radioactivity.

On the other hand, you should also make sure you don't need one. Here are a few points to guide you.
Your computer (& monitor) is placed under a bright place and can balance with the brightness of the monitor
Your monitor is anti-glare and non-reflective.
Your monitor produces little static and radioactivity.
Your monitor produces clear, crisp and not-too-bright images.
You won't have problems staring at the monitor for a long time.

If your monitor fits that criteria, you can forget the screen filter.

Blink Your Eyes!

This is not actually a hardware tip, just to let you know how important it is to blink your eyes. Your eyes don't actually get strained staring at the monitor, just loses moisture and making the eyes dry. It has been proven that people staring at the monitor for a long time has the tendency to blink less than the normal rate. Make an effort to blink your eyes. If not, try eye moisture drops.

Degauss

Degauss is a very important function that helps you restore your monitor when colors are distorted or you noticed weird colors at the corners of your monitor. This is cause by magnetization that can be caused by jerking the monitor, shifting to a different direction or moving it across the globe (different magnetic field). The degauss control removes magnetization from your monitor

Use the degauss control lightly. You should only degauss if you see color purity problems. Otherwise, don't use it. Too much degaussing stresses the circuitry components and overheats the large coil around the CRT. If possible, when the display clears up, shut down the monitor/computer for a while to let it cool down.

Take Control

When your monitor comes, modify the factory default setting of your monitor! Get more colors or brightness. And stretch the screen to the fullest! Although this may sound trivial, a lot of people just think it's alright to follow the original setting, losing valuable screen space, you will be surprised to know how much bigger you can stretch the screen. A bigger display is always better.

How to solve low memory problems?

Normally this warning message shows when you run many programs same time than the RAM installed on your computer is designed to support. Your can solve this problem by increasing the system paging file size also called as virtual memory. Using this virtual memory windows moving information to and from the paging file for fast processing. This will free up enough RAM for other programs to run properly.

To increase the system page file follow the give path:

Control Panel > System > Advanced > Click on Settings (Under Performance) > Advanced > Change

Here under Drive (Volume label), you have option to select any of your hard disk drive, but the best choice is, select any drive other than C drive for virtual memory.



Set the double Initial & Maximum Size of your Virtual Memory. Here set initial size 700 MB and maximum size up to 1000MB; you can change this size according to the free space available on your hard drive.

Hard Drive

Your hard drive, or also called hard disk, is a gigantic diskette in your computer. It is one disk big enough to store you Operating System, games and programs. Without it, your PC is just an empty shell.

Check Your BIOS

Better beware of older systems with large hard drives. If you have an older motherboard, your BIOS might not recognize hard drives larger than 2.1 GB. Hopefully, your BIOS is EPROM which means although read only (noticed the ROM?) it can be edited by authorized editors. Nearly all newer motherboards support that. All you need to do is to go online, go to your motherboard manufacturer's website and try to download a flash BIOS update. Install it and it should be done.

Are You FAT Enough?

If you have a large capacity hard drive with more than 2.1 GB, you might have a problem. Windows 95 itself will only recognize a partition with not more than 2.1 GB. You need FAT32. With FAT32, you can have one large capacity hard drive without partitioning. You will also save some space with FAT32. In short, larger hard drives require FAT32.

Consider Partitioning

Although you can have one big fat hard drive as one partition, you should consider partitioning as well, if you have a big hare drive. Partitioning is the method of dividing an area on a disk into smaller portions of lesser capacities that can be recognized by the operating system. Picture this: your hard drive is a cake. It is easier to eat a cake divided into pieces than to eat it whole.

Partitioning enables you to achieve greater efficiency and functionality from high-capacity disks (2.1GB or greater). You can create partitions by using FDISK on a system running in MS-DOS mode or by using a third-party disk utility. Remember that after partitioning, all data will be loss so be careful.

You can set aside a small partition for backup purposes. In case you should decided to format, just format the partition you use to store Windows. Your data in the backup partition is still there. But be careful! If you format a FAT32 partition with a FAT16 formatting utility, your partitions with data in it will all be loss! So never install DOS after formatting Windows. Because DOS utilizes FAT16, your FAT32 partition will all be gone.

Access Time or Seek Time?

If you want to buy a hard drive but are confused with the specifications of access time and seek time, remember that the key to the speed of a hard drive is the average access time. This is the time taken to access a single sector to the time when the drive's head reaches the sector. But beware, some ads quote seek time that is not the appropriate measurement. Access time is seek time plus latency (the time it takes for the chosen sector to come around to be positioned under the read/write head)

Speed, Not Space

A lot of people are confused between speed and space. If you have a Quantum Fireball with 1.2 GB and a Quantum Bigfoot with 3.5 GB surely you should put the Bigfoot as the master and Fireball as the slave right? Wrong! You should always consider speed as well as space. The Quantum Fireball has a faster access time. A faster hard drive means better performance. Make sure your operating system is store in the faster hard drive. You can use the Bigfoot to store your programs or games which makes not much difference to the speed. With speed hungry programs or games, store them in the faster drive too. You must know what to put where.

The status of the drives is determined by setting small jumpers that are usually located next to the IDE connector on the drive itself.

How to backup of your computer installed drivers?

You can easily create the backup of your computer installed drivers (just the particular or all drivers) and use it to troubleshoot any driver problems. This backup will be very useful when you will format your computer window due to any reason. There is no need to search the drivers from internet or drivers CD, just import the driver backup and within five minute, you will complete the driver installation process. You can move this backup from one computer to other computer for installation.
To complete the all process, we will use a simple tool called DriverMax. Using this tool, we can easily export the backup of any specific or all drivers and then import it for reinstallation later or elsewhere. You can free download (with free registration code) this tool for windows XP and Vista also. Download it and run the easy setup.

After Installation launch DriverMax, the first screen you will get with title "DriverMax - Version" and options "Export drivers, Import drivers and Installed drivers report". Just click on "Export Driver" option to start backup process.

Now after welcome screen, system will take few seconds to create the list of all installed drivers and then show you all installed drivers list.



Here you can select any specific device driver or click on "Select all" button to create the backup of entire installed drivers.



Press the Next button and in next screen you can select the export type (simple backup or in zip format) and then choose the backup location (always choose drive other than C drive).


Again press the Next and system will take some time (depend upon the size of your drivers) to finish exporting the selected drivers.


Click the "Open extraction folder button" to view the backup files or press Close button to finish it.

Now you can use this backup files (using import option) to restore drivers backup or move to any other computer. Copy the Following link to download it.

CD-ROM

The maximum a floppy disk can contain is 1.44 MB. To play a game with around 200 MB you are stuck with 100 over diskettes. The CD-ROM is a revolutionary invention that allows up to 625 MB at one time. However, it is read only, which means you can't store in anything.

Buttons Fun

Although most CD-ROMs comes with only 2 buttons, do you know you can also skip, play previous track and play the next track as well with a proper combination? Check properly on your instruction manual for additional functions. You just might be surprised what it can do.

Clean Thoroughly

It is important to clean the CR-ROM at least once every month. Get a CD lens cleaner. If possible, choose one with an alcohol solution drop. This should ensure that your CD-ROM will always be able to read properly.

Clean You CDs

It is just as important to clean your CDs often. Why? Because if you have a speck of dust on the surface of one of your CDs, once spinning at high-speed in the drive, the speck of dust is enough to produce scratches on your precious CD.

Running In DOS

Run List

Like those cool expensive hi-fi systems, you can customize the run list of your Audio CD, only not with the CD-ROM itself. Use Windows' CD player to customize the run list and you can have your CD running in any track order you like.

Read Ahead

The read ahead buffer is useful to speed up things. Go to Control Panel, System. Click on the Performance tab. Click on the File System... button. On the File System Properties, click on CD-ROM. Make sure you have the fullest cache. Even if you have a CD-ROM with less than Quad speed, just move ahead. You'll be surprised to find your CD-ROM running faster.

How to change the windows default identity?

In windows XP, you can change the windows default identity (Computer Manufacturer Logo and other information's) and share your own private identity there. First you right click on My Computer then click on Properties, here may be you will see computer manufacture logo or empty area. So add your own logo there to make your computer more private.

Follow the given steps to change the system default Properties identity:


First click on Start button and type notepad in Run option then press Enter.

Now type the following text in notepad.
[General]
Manufacturer="www.ComputerFreeTips.com"
Model=" Computer Free Tips and Tricks!"
[Support Information]
Line1="We offer various help topics including A to Z Computer Free Tips and Help."
Line2="Visit daily for new tips www.ComputerFreeTips.com"


There are some standard keywords, for example Manufacturer, Model, Line 1, Line 2; you can not change these keywords. Now save this notepad file in c:/windows/system32 folder with file name, OEMINFO.INI.

Now choose your favorite picture to set as logo, using any picture editor resize the picture size approx. 150X150 pixels then save it in c:/windows/system32 folder with file name OEMLOGO.BMP.

Now close the all files and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect. To verify these changes, right click on My Computer and open Properties.

Under General tab, verify the system properties with new settings.

Now click on Support Information for more detail.

Graphic Card

The graphic card is one of the most important pieces of hardware in your PC. Without it, your super monitor with all the bells and whistles is just a junk box.

Make Directional Input

Most video cards come with simple frame capture programs, but you'll have to do some programming if you plan to integrate video capture with other operations on your computer, such as adding text data as an overlay or changing video-in channels on the fly. In this case you'll need good programming libraries in a language with which you are familiar for the video card. Some companies include libraries with their cards, but most charge extra. Most often libraries, when available, are for C or BASIC, and sometimes Pascal.

Choose Between 24 bit and 32 bit

For True Color mode, some graphic cards offer 24 bit while some offer 32 bit. Which is the best? When True Colour mode was first suggested, it utilizes 32 bit which was very pleasing to the eye, they realize that 24 (with less coolers) won't look much different since the human eye can only take about a certain amount of colors. On the other hand, 24 bit will run faster compared to 32 bit because it uses less colors. So if your card utilizes 24 bit, don't worry, it isn't bad.

Always Use The Latest Drivers

Yes, it is important to make sure you always have the latest drivers. The latest drivers will offer you better performance, more utilities and more compatibility (usually for DirectX or Direct3D). Take the effort to check you card manufacturer's site to look for the latest driver updates.

How to connect home computer from Remote location?

How to connect home computer from Remote location?


Using the Remote Desktop feature, you can connect your home computer (host) from any other remote computer (client) and can access all computer resources (installed programs, data and any network resources). You can run any computer application on the remote computer as you were running actually sitting in front of home computer.

Follow the given steps to configure your computer to connect remote computer:

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

To perform this task, first make sure your both computers are connected to the internet.

First you have to configure the host computer that allows the users to connect it remotely. On the host computer, right click on "My computer" and click on Properties option.



Under the Remote tab, select the option "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" and click Ok button.



Now get the IP address of host computer (type the "ipconfig /all" on the command prompt of host computer to find IP address).

Now make a connection on remote or client computer, click on Start button, go to All Programs> Accessories, and Communications, then click on Remote Desktop Connection, option. A Remote Desktop Connection, dialog box will appear.



Click on Options button for detail configuration, under the General tab, type the IP address of host computer in the Computer box and also type username and password of host computer then click on Connect button to make a connection to remote computer.



If your username and password is correct then a remote desktop windows will appear.















Graphic Card

How to change the windows default identity?

CD-ROM

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How to backup of your computer installed drivers?

How to log off, restart and shutdown, connected computer from one location?

How to solve low memory problems?

How to uninstall hidden devices, drivers using device manager? New

How to Enable Logging to solve windows startup issue?

How to change default location of program installation?

Hard Drive

How to detect viruses in a computer using multiple antivirus engines?

How to restore the windows default icons?

Disposable e-mail addresses

Disposable e-mail addresses
disposable e-mail address :a new concept against spamming
guerrillamail website provides you with disposable e-mail addresses which expire after 60 Minutes. You can read and reply to e-mails that are sent to the temporary e-mail address within the given time frame.

you can also request for extending expiry time.
how is this useful?

using guerilla mail you need not create a new email account.(well,if you want one you can create too,but this is not necessary ).email id is automatically provided. whenever any forum or website asks you to register ,and you don’t want to give your personal e-mail id ,you can use your guerilla mail id.

in this way you can keep your account safe from spamming.