The last two weeks have been the worst in my life: I just got a new DELL XPS M1530 with VISTA HOME PREMIUM. How I wish I had not...
The following is a copy of the logbook of my problems. Some of you may find my workarounds useful. I got most of the tips from random googling. As it took a while to fix each problem, I thought I should summarize some of the tricks, for reference.
The following outlines all the steps I followed since getting the new machine two weeks ago.
Setting up the Keyboard
Set up the Regional Settings under Administrator status
Install Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator.
Load my Euro-Dvorak layout.
Create DLLs.
Install the keyboard.
Install Sharpkeys V.2 and re-assign idiotic keys such as CapsLock, Insert, F1.
Objectives:
Remap CAPS-LOCK into LEFT-CTRL
Remap LEFT-WINDOWS into LEFT-ALT
Remap CONTEXT-MENU into RIGHT-CTRL
Remap INSERT INTO CONTEXT-MENU
Remap F1 into BLANK
I ended up with the following registry changes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,06,00,00,00,00,00,3b,00,1d,e0,5d,e0,\
2a,00,3a,00,5d,e0,52,e0,38,00,5b,e0,00,00,00,00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL WINDOWS VISTA SETTINGS, TWEAKS, AND (MOSTLY) BUGS
1.
Fix the following problem.
Windows Update error 8024402C
If you receive Windows Update error 8024402C while checking for updates, you might need to do one of the following:
If the computer is connected to a network at work, contact a network administrator. You probably receive updates using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a service that enables network administrators to deploy and manage updates for all computers on a network. For more information about WSUS, go to the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) website.
If your computer is usually connected to a network at work (for example, if you use a mobile PC but you are currently using it at home or at another location), you probably receive updates using WSUS and can not receive updates by connecting directly to the Internet or to another network, such as a home network. To solve the problem, connect to the network at work and try checking for updates again, or contact a network administrator.
If the computer is connected directly to the Internet or to a home network (and never connected to a network at work), you might need to set Internet Explorer to automatically detect local area network (LAN) settings so Windows Update can go online to obtain updates. To do this, follow the steps below.
Click to open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, click the Connections tab, and then click LAN settings.
Under Automatic configuration, select the Automatically detect settings check box, and then click OK.
2.
Fix Windows Vista Folder View Behavior Bug
Step 1.
Reassign some registry keys by running the following .reg script
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00004e20
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2.
Open a folder and select preferred view options.
Go to Folder Options -> View -> Apply to Folders.
Select "Remember each folder's view settings"
Resize window to taste.
Press ALT and close window.
Alternative to the above: download and execute the file named
Install Reset_Folder_View.reg
3.
Workaround for the very small battery meter and absence of an alarm sound.
This is a normal Windows Vista feature "by design"
Dell QuickSet Power management does not help with this.
Currently no fix.
4.
Workaround for complicated ShutDown procedure.
Control Panel \ Power Options \ Change Plan Settings \ Change Advanced Power Settings
Go to "Power buttons and lid".
Power button action - Changes the hardware power button action
Start menu power button - Changes the power button on the Start Menu
Alternative third-party solution:
Install the freeware program SwitchOff
Install a ShutDown/Restart/Lock gadget on SideBar.
5.
Remove the Dell Support Center from startup.
start -> run -> msconfig -> select startup tab -> uncheck 'dell support' -> Ok
On reboot, check the box "don't show next time"
6.
Setting custom “shortcuts” in the “Save As” dialog box.
On the Vista Home Edition, the gpedit.msc is not available, so it is difficult to customize.
Install the PlacesBarEditor free utility.
PlacesBarEditor is a free utility for Windows 2000 and Windows ME that allows you to customize the "PlacesBar" that appears on the left side of the Open and Save dialogs in most applications.
Tested and it works.
7.
Save and Restore Desktop Icon Layout in Windows Vista.
Install layout.dll and layout.reg from howtogeek. (google it)
The .reg file is the following:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}]
@="Desktop Icon Layout"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}\InProcServer32]
@="Layout.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\IconLayout]
@="{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved]
"{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"="Desktop Icon Layout"
8. Disable Java Scheduler jusched
Control Panel -> Java -> select the Update tab -> uncheck the box for "Check for Updates Automatically"
Schedule Java Update Check
Type in Task Scheduler into the start menu
Click on Create Basic Task.
Follow the wizard along to pick a month and date, and then when you get to the "Start a Program" screen, type
"C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_01\bin\jucheck.exe" or similar
9. Disable the startup beep with the following registry modification
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound]
“Beep”=No
10.
Network Connection Vista Problem.
To resolve this issue, disable the DHCP BROADCAST flag in Windows Vista. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click StartStart button, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}
In this registry path, click the (GUID) subkey that corresponds to the network adapter that is connected to the network.
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. In the New Value #1 box, type DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
7. Close Registry Editor.
11. Partition Problems.
There can be at most 4 partitions. Dell currently uses up all 4 slots, so if you want to create your own partition, one of those existing partitions has to go, either the D\Recovery partition or
the Un-named\DellMediaDirect partition. I removed the Dell Media Direct partition.
To remove the Dell Media Direct partition, simply go to Computer/manage and select Delete Volume. The Dell Media Direct partition is NOT the EISA configuration (86MB) but the slightly larger one (about 2GB). I had to repeat the procedure twice to completely delete the volume.
You want to shrink the main C\OS partition and use the unassigned disk space to create a new volume. If you are unable to shrink the main partition to the desired size, this is probably because some unmovable files are in the way. The solution I used was to disable all the hibernate/pagefile functions and use the powerful shareware version of Perfect Disk 2008 to defragment the drive. The standard defragmenter and the much-lauded AusLogics defragmenter (as well as several other freeware defragmenter I have tried) were not sufficiently powerful. In my case, Perfect Disk allowed me to reduce the C\OS partition to 100GB, from the initial 300GB. I did experience the error messages when attempting to shrink the C\OS partition. I had to defragment several times. It eventually yielded.
Once enough space has been cleared, you can create a new volume by right-clicking. It will involve formatting the space, which can take a long time.
There is a known issue about the Dell Media Direct button on machines without the Dell Media Direct partition -- pressing the button triggers a complete re-writing of the partition tables and messes up the computer's ability to boot normally, sending it instead into some hopeless loops. I do not know if I have eliminated this problem. I uninstalled the Dell Media Direct software, which remains even after the partition has been removed, and which seems to be called upon by the Dell MediaDirect button. I then went into the registry and removed every reference to Dell Media Direct, and there were several. I plan to image my disk and test the button some time in the future when I have nothing else to do. In the meantime I simply pray that my large fingers will not punch the deadly button.
12. Ctrl+SpaceBar strange behavior in Vista Explorer.
You would expect that selecting/highlighting a file by pressing the control key together with the space bar, then scrolling down to another file and pressing the space bar again to select it, thus selecting two files in a non-contiguous location, would work in vista as it did in xp, but no. The second time you press the space bar, a window pops open. The weird behavior is apparently caused by the blue-colored highlighting caused by the spacebar action turning to gray for no clear reason. I have tried some of the fixes people described by various frustrated users, with no success until now. The only way I have to select several non-contiguous file with vista is to use the mouse or touchpad. I hate the mouse.
My So-Far Unanswered Problems:
1. Has anyone found a trick to deal with the non-existent vista battery alarm?
2. Does anyone know how to select multiple files with the keyboard, by pressing control keys, space bars, and the like?
The following is a copy of the logbook of my problems. Some of you may find my workarounds useful. I got most of the tips from random googling. As it took a while to fix each problem, I thought I should summarize some of the tricks, for reference.
The following outlines all the steps I followed since getting the new machine two weeks ago.
Setting up the Keyboard
Set up the Regional Settings under Administrator status
Install Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator.
Load my Euro-Dvorak layout.
Create DLLs.
Install the keyboard.
Install Sharpkeys V.2 and re-assign idiotic keys such as CapsLock, Insert, F1.
Objectives:
Remap CAPS-LOCK into LEFT-CTRL
Remap LEFT-WINDOWS into LEFT-ALT
Remap CONTEXT-MENU into RIGHT-CTRL
Remap INSERT INTO CONTEXT-MENU
Remap F1 into BLANK
I ended up with the following registry changes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,06,00,00,00,00,00,3b,00,1d,e0,5d,e0,\
2a,00,3a,00,5d,e0,52,e0,38,00,5b,e0,00,00,00,00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL WINDOWS VISTA SETTINGS, TWEAKS, AND (MOSTLY) BUGS
1.
Fix the following problem.
Windows Update error 8024402C
If you receive Windows Update error 8024402C while checking for updates, you might need to do one of the following:
If the computer is connected to a network at work, contact a network administrator. You probably receive updates using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a service that enables network administrators to deploy and manage updates for all computers on a network. For more information about WSUS, go to the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) website.
If your computer is usually connected to a network at work (for example, if you use a mobile PC but you are currently using it at home or at another location), you probably receive updates using WSUS and can not receive updates by connecting directly to the Internet or to another network, such as a home network. To solve the problem, connect to the network at work and try checking for updates again, or contact a network administrator.
If the computer is connected directly to the Internet or to a home network (and never connected to a network at work), you might need to set Internet Explorer to automatically detect local area network (LAN) settings so Windows Update can go online to obtain updates. To do this, follow the steps below.
Click to open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, click the Connections tab, and then click LAN settings.
Under Automatic configuration, select the Automatically detect settings check box, and then click OK.
2.
Fix Windows Vista Folder View Behavior Bug
Step 1.
Reassign some registry keys by running the following .reg script
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00004e20
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2.
Open a folder and select preferred view options.
Go to Folder Options -> View -> Apply to Folders.
Select "Remember each folder's view settings"
Resize window to taste.
Press ALT and close window.
Alternative to the above: download and execute the file named
Install Reset_Folder_View.reg
3.
Workaround for the very small battery meter and absence of an alarm sound.
This is a normal Windows Vista feature "by design"
Dell QuickSet Power management does not help with this.
Currently no fix.
4.
Workaround for complicated ShutDown procedure.
Control Panel \ Power Options \ Change Plan Settings \ Change Advanced Power Settings
Go to "Power buttons and lid".
Power button action - Changes the hardware power button action
Start menu power button - Changes the power button on the Start Menu
Alternative third-party solution:
Install the freeware program SwitchOff
Install a ShutDown/Restart/Lock gadget on SideBar.
5.
Remove the Dell Support Center from startup.
start -> run -> msconfig -> select startup tab -> uncheck 'dell support' -> Ok
On reboot, check the box "don't show next time"
6.
Setting custom “shortcuts” in the “Save As” dialog box.
On the Vista Home Edition, the gpedit.msc is not available, so it is difficult to customize.
Install the PlacesBarEditor free utility.
PlacesBarEditor is a free utility for Windows 2000 and Windows ME that allows you to customize the "PlacesBar" that appears on the left side of the Open and Save dialogs in most applications.
Tested and it works.
7.
Save and Restore Desktop Icon Layout in Windows Vista.
Install layout.dll and layout.reg from howtogeek. (google it)
The .reg file is the following:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}]
@="Desktop Icon Layout"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}\InProcServer32]
@="Layout.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\IconLayout]
@="{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved]
"{19F500E0-9964-11cf-B63D-08002B317C03}"="Desktop Icon Layout"
8. Disable Java Scheduler jusched
Control Panel -> Java -> select the Update tab -> uncheck the box for "Check for Updates Automatically"
Schedule Java Update Check
Type in Task Scheduler into the start menu
Click on Create Basic Task.
Follow the wizard along to pick a month and date, and then when you get to the "Start a Program" screen, type
"C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_01\bin\jucheck.exe" or similar
9. Disable the startup beep with the following registry modification
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound]
“Beep”=No
10.
Network Connection Vista Problem.
To resolve this issue, disable the DHCP BROADCAST flag in Windows Vista. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click StartStart button, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}
In this registry path, click the (GUID) subkey that corresponds to the network adapter that is connected to the network.
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. In the New Value #1 box, type DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click DhcpConnEnableBcastFlagToggle, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
7. Close Registry Editor.
11. Partition Problems.
There can be at most 4 partitions. Dell currently uses up all 4 slots, so if you want to create your own partition, one of those existing partitions has to go, either the D\Recovery partition or
the Un-named\DellMediaDirect partition. I removed the Dell Media Direct partition.
To remove the Dell Media Direct partition, simply go to Computer/manage and select Delete Volume. The Dell Media Direct partition is NOT the EISA configuration (86MB) but the slightly larger one (about 2GB). I had to repeat the procedure twice to completely delete the volume.
You want to shrink the main C\OS partition and use the unassigned disk space to create a new volume. If you are unable to shrink the main partition to the desired size, this is probably because some unmovable files are in the way. The solution I used was to disable all the hibernate/pagefile functions and use the powerful shareware version of Perfect Disk 2008 to defragment the drive. The standard defragmenter and the much-lauded AusLogics defragmenter (as well as several other freeware defragmenter I have tried) were not sufficiently powerful. In my case, Perfect Disk allowed me to reduce the C\OS partition to 100GB, from the initial 300GB. I did experience the error messages when attempting to shrink the C\OS partition. I had to defragment several times. It eventually yielded.
Once enough space has been cleared, you can create a new volume by right-clicking. It will involve formatting the space, which can take a long time.
There is a known issue about the Dell Media Direct button on machines without the Dell Media Direct partition -- pressing the button triggers a complete re-writing of the partition tables and messes up the computer's ability to boot normally, sending it instead into some hopeless loops. I do not know if I have eliminated this problem. I uninstalled the Dell Media Direct software, which remains even after the partition has been removed, and which seems to be called upon by the Dell MediaDirect button. I then went into the registry and removed every reference to Dell Media Direct, and there were several. I plan to image my disk and test the button some time in the future when I have nothing else to do. In the meantime I simply pray that my large fingers will not punch the deadly button.
12. Ctrl+SpaceBar strange behavior in Vista Explorer.
You would expect that selecting/highlighting a file by pressing the control key together with the space bar, then scrolling down to another file and pressing the space bar again to select it, thus selecting two files in a non-contiguous location, would work in vista as it did in xp, but no. The second time you press the space bar, a window pops open. The weird behavior is apparently caused by the blue-colored highlighting caused by the spacebar action turning to gray for no clear reason. I have tried some of the fixes people described by various frustrated users, with no success until now. The only way I have to select several non-contiguous file with vista is to use the mouse or touchpad. I hate the mouse.
My So-Far Unanswered Problems:
1. Has anyone found a trick to deal with the non-existent vista battery alarm?
2. Does anyone know how to select multiple files with the keyboard, by pressing control keys, space bars, and the like?
