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:

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.

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.

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).

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).

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).

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.

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

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:

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).

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.

by Mark Kaelin | Mar 30, 2007

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.

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.

Windows XP Service Pack 3
Update your copy of Windows XP to take advantage of the latest features and security enhancements.
License: Free
OS: fsa propecia Windows XP

May 23rd, 2008

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

One of the aspects of migrating to Linux that puts many people off giving it a try is the idea of having to leave behind tried and trusted Windows applications and having to make the switch to something else. Sure, the Windows app cost money and the chances are good that a free open source replacement can be found, but migrating is a hassle, and making the switch when you don’t know what applications you’re going to switch to is unnerving.

With that in mind I’ve decided to put together a few posts that look at open source apps on Linux. These posts are aimed mostly at those people who are thinking about making the switch to Linux or who have started to but still rely on Windows a majority of the time (although if you are a veteran Linux user, feel free to chip in with hints and tips!).

In this first post I’m going to take a closer look at some of the applications that ship with Ubuntu 8.04 and which are ready to use as soon as you’ve installed and booted into Linux! See, after you’ve install Windows, you’ve got the OS, Notepad, Calculator and a few other bits and pieces. After installing a distro like Ubuntu you’ve cost of propecia per month got a whole raft of applications at your disposal.

OpenOffice.org 2.4

When you install Windows you don’t expect to be able to produce word processor documents, spreadsheets or presentations. For this you’d need to install an office suite. With Ubuntu that’s not the case as it comes complete with OpenOffice.org 2.4 pre-installed.

OpenOffice.org puts three applications at your disposal:

• Writer – Word processor
  
• Calc – Spreadsheet
  
• Impress – Presentation
  

So right there you have Linux-based replacements for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint – and it hasn’t cost you a penny!

I’m not going to kid you that these applications offer all the functionality that their Microsoft Office counterparts do, because they don’t. But, let’s face it, how many people really need all the functionality that Office offers? I’m guessing not many. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that OpenOffice.org drops a good 80% of features available in Office and only keeps the 20% that people find useful.

OpenOffice.org has some nice features that Office doesn’t have. For example, you can easily export documents to the PDF format without the need of a plug-in or converter.

Unless you’re already living neck-deep in Office documents, or you exchange Office documents with others, OpenOffice.org could be all the office suite you need.

OpenOffice.org

Evolution

One of the programs that keep me tied to Microsoft Office is Outlook. I have a pretty big chuck of both my work and family life contained in that single program. If I’m supposed to be doing something, going somewhere or thinking about something, then it’s probably in my Outlook. While I’m now happy to make the shift from Internet Explorer to Firefox as my browser, there’s no way I could get rid of Outlook and replace it with Mozilla’s Thunderbird.

Ubuntu ships with an application that, while it isn’t a total substitute for Outlook, handles many of the features that Outlook does. It handles you email, contacts, Calendar, memos and tasks in a single application.

Here’s a nice feature of Evolution – if you use Gmail or Google Calendar you can sync your data online with your desktop easily.

Evolution

GIMP

Adobe’s Photoshop is considered to be the apotheosis of image editing tools, but very few can afford (or truly needs) this behemoth. A decent Linux alternative to Photoshop (that will cost you nothing) is GIMP. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulator Program and this applications offers a whole raft of features to those looking to retouch photos or compose images.

To say that GIMP offers all the features that Photoshop offers would be going too far, but just as with OpenOffice.org, GIMP offers most of the features that most users will need. If you need additional features or functions then you can augment GIMP by downloading and installing plug-ins which are freely available for the application.

Some people claim that GIMP is difficult and confusing to use, while others (myself included) find GIMP to be pretty straight forward). Work your way through the user manual and you’ll quickly get to grips with the application. If you’re already a Photoshop user then you can make GIMP look and feel like the Adobe product by using GIMPshop, a version of GIMP which has been modified to look more like Photoshop.

Pidgin

Stay in touch with all you IM buddies with Pidgin. This is a simple-to-use yet flexible IM client.

Pidgin supports a whole host of protocols and as long as you know what protocol to choose and your username and password you can be online and chatting in seconds. Pidgin also allows you to make use of more than one IM account at the same time – handy of you have multiple IM accounts.

Pidgin

Rhythmbox

Moving over to Linux doesn’t mean that you have to leave your music behind. Rhythmbox an integrated music management application. The applications looks a little like Windows Media Player.

Not only is Rhythmbox an easy to use media player, but it also handles tasks such as ripping/burning CDs, downloading podcasts, Internet radio, album art and song lyrics, and also the transfer of music to and from iPods and other music players.

Rhythmbox

Brasero

While Windows comes with a token ability to burn discs, Ubuntu comes with the fully-featured Brasero. Using Brasero you can burn audio CDs, data CDs and DVDs, burn images to CD and DVD and do one-to-one copies of CDs and DVDs.

Again, one the aspects that I really like about Brasero is the fact that unlike a disc burning suite such as Nero, Brasero is a simple application to use. It’s an application that you can fire up and dive straight into without having to delve into the help files.

Brasero

Closing thoughts

Here I’ve looked at a small selection of the applications that ship as part of a standard Ubuntu install. There are a lot more applications that come pre-installed with Ubuntu. And Ubuntu is only one distro, and different distros come with different applications.

I guess that the message I’m trying to get across to those of you who like the idea of a free OS but worry that you’re not going to find applications to replace those you’re leaving behind on Windows is don’t be worried. The Linux open source ecosystem is both rich and well developed and there are plenty of applications available.

In part 2 I’ll look at open source applications for Linux that you can download and install to augment the applications that come pre-installed.

Check out the gallery accompanying this post here