June 14, 2008

Install Microsoft Management Console 3.0 for Windows XP SP2

Date: June 11th, 2008

Author: Greg Shultz

The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) application provides you with an interface shell into which you can insert various tools called snap-ins to create custom consoles. While custom consoles can come in handy for performing any number of tasks, Windows XP’s MMC 2.0 convoluted console-creation process often seems counterintuitive.

Fortunately, Microsoft has made the new MMC interface developed for Windows Vista available for Windows XP. Version half dose propecia 3.0 of the MMC application provides more functionality for snap-ins than prior versions and sports a smoother-looking user interface that makes it much easier to create and use consoles.

One of the biggest changes in MMC 3.0 for Windows XP is the new Add or Remove Snap-ins interface. Instead of having to use a tedious procedure that involves two separate dialog boxes to build a custom console, the new MMC 3.0 provides a single dialog box that makes it much easier to create custom consoles.

Downloading and installing the MMC 3.0 for Windows XP is a breeze. However, you must manually enable the new user interface by adding a key to the registry. Here’s how:

  1. Download the Microsoft Management Console 3.0 for Windows XP from the Microsoft Download Center.
  2. Locate and run the WindowsXP-KB907265-x86-ENU.exe executable file to launch the MMC 3.0 installation wizard.
  3. Once the installation is complete, launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  4. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC.
  5. Right-click the MMC subkey and select New | Key.
  6. Name the key UseNewUI and press [Enter].
  7. Close the Registry Editor.

Now, when you launch MMC.exe from the Run dialog box, you’ll be able to take advantage of the new Add or Remove Snap-ins interface. You simply scroll through the available snap-ins in the left panel and click the Add button to build your custom console in the right panel.

Notes: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Professional but requires that Service Pack 2 or 3 is installed. Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.

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How do I recover my system in Windows XP using System Restore?

Date: June 3rd, 2008

Author: Steven Warren

Oh no! Your computer just crashed after you downloaded and installed the latest video card driver for your system. Don’t sweat it. Windows XP is bundled with a cool feature called System Restore. It allows system administrators to restore XP computers to a previous state without losing the following files: Email, Favorites, My Documents, and Cookies. It does this by monitoring changes in your files and folders and taking a snapshot of your system at regular intervals. Once a problem with your system is encountered, you can restore the system to a previous point and roll back your system files and registry to a point in time when the operating system was working. In this post, we will discuss how to configure your System Restore options and how to restore to a previous point in time.

System Restore 101

This new feature in Windows XP runs in the background as a service. It constantly logs changes to your system in C:\WINDOWS\System32\Restore (Figure A). In addition to this constant logging, System Restore takes regular snapshots of your system state, which includes the following: User Accounts and System Settings.

FigureA

Figure A

For example, you have recently installed a new device driver and a warning message is displayed that tells you this driver is not supported with XP or is unsigned. You continue with the installation anyway, and as soon as you choose to continue, the System Restore feature creates a restore point automatically so you can restore the system if for some reason it crashes. Restore points are also created when you install or upgrade to Windows XP or when you install any update patches off the Windows Update web site.

By default, System Restore will create a restore point every 24 hours. If this is a machine that is left on all the time, you can count on this happening once every 24 hours. If you shut down the machine and restart it, a restore point is created at boot-up as long as one has not been created in the last 24 hours.

You can adjust this time frame in the registry. Simply open Regedit from a command prompt and browse to Hkey Local Machine\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore (Figure B.). Once you are there, change the RPGlobalInterval from its default setting of 86,400 seconds to the appropriate amount (86,400 seconds is 24 hours). In addition, Restore points are deleted every 90 days. To change this value, adjust the RPLifeInterval from 7,776,000 to an appropriate value (7,776,000 is 90 days).

FigureB

Figure B

You can also specify a protected location in the registry that the System Restore will normally overwrite.

1. Open the Regedit and browse to Hkey Local Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup.

2. Right-click and select New | Multi-String Value.

3. Specify a Name of the location that System Restore won’t restore to a previous point.

4. Double-click the new value and enter the appropriate path that you want protected from System Restore (Figure C).

FigureC

Figure C

Configuring System Restore

Before using the System Restore functionality, you should become familiar with how you can configure your options for optimal performance. You can access the System Restore options by opening Control Panel | Performance and Maintenance | System | System Restore tab (Figure D).

FigureD

Figure D

Note: If you are using the classic view, open Control Panel | System.

In Figure D, you can turn off the System Restore feature completely or specify the amount of disk space for System Restore to use. The System Restore feature uses a maximum of 12 percent of your disk space by default. This can take up quite a bit of your hard drive space, so plan accordingly before changing this setting.

Manual restore points

At any time if you feel it is necessary, you can create a manual restore point. You must have administrative access to perform this function. This can be done by performing the following:

1. Open Help and Support from the Start menu.

2. Select Undo Changes to Your Computer with System Restore (Figure E) and the Welcome to the System Restore window will appear (Figure F).

3. Choose the Create a Restore Point radio button and click Next (Figure G).

4. Enter a Restore Point Description and click Create (Figure H). The restore point is created (Figure I).

5. Click Home.

FigureE

Figure E

FigureF

Figure F

FigureG

Figure G

FigureH

Figure H

FigureI

Figure I

Restoring your computer

In the event of a crash or any other incident that leaves your computer in a state of non-bliss, you can quickly restore your computer by performing the following:

  1. Open Help and Support from the Start menu.
  2. Select Restore My Computer to an Earlier Time and click Next.
  3. Select a restore point by highlighting a day in the calendar and choosing the appropriate checkpoint (Figure J). Click Next.
  4. Review your Selected Restore Point (Figure K) and click Next. This will shut down your computer and restore your computer to an earlier point in time.

FigureJ

Figure J

hair transplant without propecia src=”http://stevenscottwarren.com/wp-content/uploads/figurek-thumb.png” border=”0″ alt=”FigureK” width=”244″ height=”181″ style=”border-width: 0px” />

Figure K

Note: You can undo your latest restore by following the same procedure and selecting Undo My Last Restoration (Figure L).

FigureL

Figure L

In this article we have discussed the various ways you can easily recover your system in the event of a crash. We also provided you with some basic configuration knowledge to quickly and easily configure System Restore to work optimally on your system. The System Restore feature is a powerful tool that will help you run Windows XP without a glitch.

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Let Word’s Mail Merge feature insert Access data into your Word documents

Date: June 10th, 2008

Author: Mary Ann Richardson

If you need to report on the latest data in the company’s employee database and don’t have Access, you can use Word’s Mail Merge Directory feature. With this feature, you can quickly add data from any Access table into a table in any Word document. Follow these steps:

  1. Open a blank document.
  2. In Word 2002/2003, go to Tools | Letters And Mailings | Mail Merge. (In Word 2007, click the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge in the Start Mail Merge group of the Mailings ribbon, and select Step-By-Step Merge Wizard.)
  3. Select Directory in the Mail Merge task pane.

  1. Click Next: Starting Document.
  2. Click Browse and then navigate to the Access database that contains the data you want to insert into your document.
  3. Click the Open button.
  4. Click the table containing the data.
  5. Click OK twice.
  6. In the task pane, click Next: Arrange Your Directory.
  7. Click the Insert Table tool on the Standard toolbar. (In Word 2007, click the Insert tab and then click Table.)
  8. Click and drag over the first four cells to create a 1 x 4 table.
  9. Click in the first cell hair propecia vitamin of the table, if necessary.
  10. Click More Items in the task pane.
  11. Click the InternID field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.
  12. Click in the second cell of the table.
  13. Click More Items in the task pane.
  14. Click the LastName field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.

  1. Click in the third cell of the table.
  2. Click More Items in the task pane.
  3. Click the FirstName field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.
  4. Click in the fourth cell of the table.
  5. Click More Items in the task pane.
  6. Click the PayRate field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.
  7. Click Next: Preview Your Directory in the task pane.
  8. Click Next: Complete The Merge in the task pane.
  9. Click To New Document.
  10. Click OK.

Now you can format the table any way you wish. Here we have inserted a row above the table, added table headings, and selected a format from the Word 2007 table gallery.

Be sure to save the Main document file so that you can get the latest data from the Access table without having to set up the document again. Simply open the file and then click the Merge button on the Mail Merge toolbar in Word 2002/2003 or click the Finish And Merge Button on the Word 2007 Mailings ribbon.

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How do I… Change file extension associations in Windows Vista?

Takeaway: Like Windows XP before it, Microsoft Windows Vista relies on a system of file extensions to determine which application will be called for a particular file. To change file associations, a user must navigate to the Set Associations tool. Mark Kaelin shows how it works.

This article is also available as a TechRepublic download and as a TechRepublic gallery.

To determine which application will run when you double-click a file icon, Windows Vista uses the familiar file extension system made famous (infamous) in earlier versions of Windows. And just like the previous versions of the operating system, figuring out how to change a file extension association in Windows Vista can be a little frustrating if you don't know where to look.

The steps

The Windows Vista tool you use to change file associations in located in the Control Panel under the Default Programs icon, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A

Control Panel

Oddly enough, searching the "association" in the Vista search tool off of the Start Menu returns no results — at least for me.

Once on the Default Programs screen you have two choices for changing file associations:

  1. Set your default programs
  2. Associate a file type or protocol with hair loss propecia a program

You can also change AutoPlay settings for CDs and DVDs for this screen, as well as set program access settings. (Figure B)

Figure B

Default Programs

The first selection on the Default Programs screen (Figure B) is Set Your Default Programs. On this screen of the tool, as shown in Figure C, you can select a program and either give it complete control as the default program for all file extensions it can handle or choose the file extensions you want individually. How the list of programs was formed for this tool is not explained, but a few programs are missing from the list. The one program that comes to mind almost immediately is Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Figure C

Set Default Programs

Clicking the Choose Defaults For This Program option on the Set Default Programs screen (Figure C) shows you a list of potential file extensions that can be associated with the chosen program (Figure D). From here, you can check additional file extensions you would like Windows Vista to associate with the program.

Figure D

Select extensions individually

The second selection on the Default Programs screen (Figure B) is Associate A File Type Or Protocol With A Program. On this screen of the tool, shown in Figure E, you get a very long list of file extensions, including a description and the name of their associated program if it is known. To modify the program associated with a particular extension, you select the extension and click the Change Program button.

Figure E

Set Associations

In the example shown in Figure F, I have chosen the .inf extension, which is currently associated with Notepad. From this screen, I can choose to change the association to another available program.

Figure F

Change an extension association

If another viable program is not listed on the screen in Figure F, you can browse your system for programs (Figure G). Note that it is generally not a good idea to associate a file extension with a program that is not capable of reading or otherwise acting on it.

Figure G

Browse programs

Once your file extensions are selected, you click Save and then OK to apply your changes to Windows Vista.

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