Tutorials

How to Enable or Disable the Notification Area System Icons in Vista This will show you how to enable or disable the Notification Area System Icons for all user account on the computer. These are the Clock, Volume, Network, and Power (battery) icons in the bottom right corner of the Taskbar. When these icons are disabled, they will be grayed out in the Notification Area. When these icons are enabled, they can be checked to show on the Taskbar Notification Area.If you want to make all Taskbar icons bigger, then increase the Caption Buttons Item Size to a higher number in Advanced Appearance settings. See steps 6A and 6B here: How to Change the Advanced Appearance Settings in Vista Make sure the the drivers and devices that go with...

Windows Update Error 80070424 in Vista All aspects of this error -how to fix This error may be caused trouble with following services -Backgroung Inteligence Transfer Service -Windows Update -Windows Modules Installer http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/258701-windows-update-error-80070424-a.html SOLUTION Go to Start>>Search>>services.msc and check below services exist, have correct settings and are working BITS :Automatic(Delayed),started Windows Update : Automatic(Delayed),started Windows Modules Installer:Manual If you have another settings you have to correct it.If you can't correct settings or any service don't exist follow below: SCENARIO I Issue with Background Inteligence Transfer Service See this tutorial How...

How to Change Size of Icons in Quick Launch in Vista This will help you have the icons display the way you want in Quick Launch by showing you how to change the size of the Quick Launch area, and shortcut icons to be either Large or Small icons. EXAMPLE: Before (Small Icons), After (Large Icons), and After (Double Height) Here's How: 1. Right click on a empty area of the taskbar. 2. Click Lock the Taskbar to uncheck it. (See screenshot below) NOTE: If Lock the Taskbar is grayed out, then see: How to Enable or Disable Lock the Taskbar in Vista 3. To Resize the Quick Launch Icons A) Right click on a empty area of the Quick Launch area between the dotted bars and the icons. (See screenshot below) B) Click on View and click...

How to Use "Find and Find Next" in Registry Editor in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 This tutorial will show you how to use "Find and Find Next" to find a text string in a key, value, or data inside the Registry Editor in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.This can be real handy if a program improperly uninstalled and you need to remove all entries for it in the registry manually to finish removing it. It it recommended that you should create a restore point to backup the entire registry incase you make a mistake while editing the registry and need or have to do a system restore to undo it. Here's How: 1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter. 2. If prompted by UAC, then click on Continue...

How to Reset a User Account Password in Vista If you forgot the password for a user account, this will show you how to reset or change the password to gain access to the user account again. The password used in Vista is case sensitive. You might double check to make sure that you do not have the Caps Lock key on by mistake when typing it in. If you do not have a password for the user account, then clicking or pressing Enter with a blank field will usually work. METHOD THREE below should only be used a last resort to reset a Administrator account when it is the only account created, but it should do the job for you. Your only other option is to reinstall Vista. If you are using BitLocker Drive Encryption, then this will most likely...

How To Change the Drive Boot Priority in BIOS This will show you, step by step, how to change the drive Boot priority on your computer in the BIOS.This will set your computer to Boot from where you want, in any order.You may want to view this Tutorial on another computer, as your computer will need to restart multiple times. Here's How: Starting Out: 1) Shut down your computer 2) Power your computer back on, but be ready. 3) The BIOS screen is the motherboard boot screen. This is NOT the operating system loading, this takes place before that. Generally, it will be a screen with the computer manufacturer logo, and a little bit of text. You will need to press a certain key at this point, and it varies depending on the motherboard...

How to Fix the Error "Your user profile was not loaded correctly! You have been logged on with a temporary profile." in Vista and Windows 7 A user profile is a collection of settings that make the computer look and work the way you want it to for a user account. It contains the account's settings for desktop backgrounds, screen savers, pointer preferences, sound settings, and other features. User profiles ensure that your personal preferences are used whenever you sign in to Windows. A user profile is different from a user account, which you use to sign in to Windows. Each user account has at least one user profile associated with it. When you log on to Vista using a temporary profile (user account), and you receive this error...

How to Remove an Uninstall Entry in Programs and Features for Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 In Programs and Features there is a list of programs on your computer that have a uninstall program for it. If the program uninstall entry is invalid or you simply want to remove it from the list, then this will show you how to remove the uninstall entry using your choice of three methods.The first two options use a 3rd party program, and the third method is through the registry. Just pick the method that you are most comfortable doing. EXAMPLE: Program and Features NOTE: Open the Control Panel (Classic View in Vista) or (Icons View Windows 7/8), and click on the Programs and Features icon. Remove Uninstall Entry using "CCleaner" Program...

How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Vista This will show you how to boot to the System Recovery Options screen to select the Startup Repair, System Restore, Complete PC Restore, Memory Diagnostic Tool, or Command Prompt option to use on Vista.The System Recovery Options menu is on the Vista installation disc. If your computer manufacturer (OEM) has preinstalled recovery options, the menu might also be installed on your hard disk as a recovery partition. If your computer does not include the System Recovery Options menu, your computer manufacturer (OEM) might have customized or replaced the tool. Check the information that came with your computer or go to the manufacturer's website. Using a OEM Recovery Partition NOTE: This...

How to See Product Key in Vista The product key number is a sequence of 25 letters and numbers. The number is divided into 5 groups of 5 characters each. During Vista installation, you must enter the product key number to activate Vista. This will show you how to find the product key number from a Windows sticker, or if you lost the product key and need to get it from within your installed Vista. If you reinstalled Vista or did not activate or type in the product key number after you installed Vista the first time, then the program in this tutorial will not be able to show you the number from within Vista since you did not enter it. A Express or Retail Vista can be installed on any one computer at a time for as many times as you...

How to Slipstream Vista SP2 This will show you how to create a Vista SP2 slipstream installation disc. Thanks to Flavius. Requirements: A Windows Vista installation DVD A copy of SP1 standalone installer from Microsoft (If you have an SP1 disc Sp1 stand alone is not required!) A copy of SP2 standalone installer from Microsoft A Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) installer from Microsoft A registered copy of UltraISO Here's How: Warning:~ Do not install Product key! 1. Install WAIK on OS 2. Install Vista RTM to a secondary partition. (Namely D: with nothing on that drive as all will be deleted) 3. During the installation, once in the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) after set-up starts, press Ctrl+Shift+F3. (The...

How to Create a Search Desktop Shortcut on Vista This will show you how to create a desktop shortcut for Search. When you click on the shortcut, it will open the Search window.When the Vista SP1 is installed, it will remove Search from the Start Menu and other places. For more details on this, see: Microsoft Help and Support: KB941946 If you wanted to restore the Search button in the right dark side if the Start menu afte installing the Vista SP1, then see: How to Restore the Start Menu Search Button after Installing the Vista SP1 You can pin this shortcut to the Start menu to make it closer to where it was before SP1 was installed. For how, see: How to Pin a Program to the Start Menu in Vista You can also add or move the shortcut to...

Show All Ghost Devices & Drivers This Tutorial will show how to make Ghost Devices you have removed from your Computer and Drivers used by programs Visible in Device Manager along with many other Ghost Devices and Drivers used by utilities and Applications within Vista, This will free up a bit of memory and stop any possible Conflicts between Devices while clearing out old devices that are no longer used. Step 1 Right-Click Computer in your Start Menu and open Properties Step 2 You can now see Basic Information about your Computer, on the left click Advanced System Settings Step 3 You will now see a System Properties window automatically opened to the Advanced Tab, Just click the Environment Variables button located at the...

How to Change the Logon Screen in Vista The Logon screen is the screen that shows the accounts on your computer when you are logging on. This consists of the Welcome, Shutdown, Lock Computer, Switch User, Logon, and Logoff screens. The Logon screens are saved as a .logonvista file. For free LogonStudio screens to download, see: WinCustomize: Explore : LogonStudio EXAMPLE: Default Logon Screen Here's How: 1. Download and save the free Stardock LogonStudio program.. 2. Install the program. 3. Click on the LogonStudio shortcut to run. (See screenshot below) 4. Click on Continue in the UAC Prompt. The main window will now open. (See screenshot below) OPTIONS: NOTE: See screenshot above. Click on these buttons to the left to...

How to Restore the Built-in ZIP File Support in Vista This will show you how to restore the built-in ZIP file support in Vista by restoring the ZIP file association.You may have used a program like WinZip, WinRar, or some other Zip program and Vista will now not go back to it's default Zip handler in explorer after you uninstalled the other program.If when you try to open a ZIP folder and it does not open in a Windows Explorer window, then turn on Compressed Folders. See related link below for how.This must be done while logged on to a administrator account. Here's How: 1. Click on the download button below and save the zipfix_vista.reg file to your desktop. NOTE: This also contains the reg file to turn on Compressed Folders...

Cannot Rename or Move a File or Folder in Vista Fix If you recieve the error The File or Folder does not exist when you cannot move or rename a file or folder, then this will show you how to fix this problem in Vista.This problem usually occurs when this registry key or it's subkeys below gets corrupted, changed, or deleted. This is usually done by a registry cleaning program that was allowed to delete (fix) something it found wrong that should not have been. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\FolderDescriptions If the steps below do not help, then take ownership of the file or folder, then try to move or rename it again. For how, see: How to Take Ownership of a Item in Vista EXAMPLE: The File or...

How to Create a Sleep Shortcut on the Desktop in Vista This will show you how to create a Sleep shortcut used to put your computer into sleep (not hibernate) mode when clicked on.If you would like to place this shortcut in Quick Launch, then see Option Three in this link for how: How to Use Quick Launch in VistaIf you would like to create a keyboard shortcut for this shortcut, then see: How to Create a Keyboard Shortcut for a Program in VistaThis shortcut will perform the same action set for the Start Menu power button when pressed. You will need to make sure that the Start Menu power button is set for Sleep if you want this shortcut to put your computer to sleep when used. For how, see: How to Change the Power Button Settings for the...

How to Restrict or Unrestrict Drive Access in Vista and Windows 7 This will show you how to restrict all access (open or save) to all content of a drive or combination of drives that you select for all users on the computer. All drives are set to be unrestricted by default in Vista and Windows 7. When a drive is set as restricted, users can only browse through the drives directory in the Navigatoin Pane folder tree in Windows Explorer by clicking on the arrows to expand the folders. They will not be able to open a folder though in Windows Explorer. (See example below) If you would also like to hide or unhide this drive(s) in Computer and Windows Explorer, then see: How to Hide or Unhide a Drive in Vista This will not prevent users...

How to Shrink and Create a Partition with Disk Management in Vista It is possible in Vista to repartition your hard disk by using the Shrink feature in Disk Management. You can shrink an existing partition (volume) to create unallocated disk space, from which you can Create a new partition (volume). For more information, see: Windows Help and How-to: Partition and Understanding Disk Partitioning Partition Type Description Primary Partition A type of partition created on a hard drive that can host an operating system and functions as though it were a physically separate hard drive. Also called a volume. Only up to four primary partitions, or 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition can be created on a single hard drive...

How to Activate Vista Normally and by Phone Activation This will show you how to activate Vista normally, and by using Phone activation. Phone activation is used to get a local phone number to call and get Vista activated by phone. For more information, see: Windows Help and How-to: Activating Windows FAQs Microsoft Help and Support: KB940315 A Express or Retail Vista can be installed on any one computer at a time for as many times as you like. A OEM Vista may only be able to be installed on the exact same computer as many times as you like. The product key number for the Vista 32 bit version is the same one for it's 64 bit version. You can only have the Product Key activated on one computer and version of 32 bit or 64 bit Vista...