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| Computer Tips for July/Aug 2008 |
Vista Tip 1:
Make sure when you are changing things you are logged on as administrator or have
administrator rights. (Vista likes to ask if you are sure you really want to make a
change, write a file, etc. You have to give Vista permission.)
Vista Tip 2:
Do you want to stay with Vista????
Do you still prefer the XP experience?
Here are some ways to make it work more like XP:
First, right-click on an empty area of the desktop and select Personalize.
Click the Window Color and Appearance link,
and then click Open classic appearance properties for more color options.
From the list, choose Windows Vista Basic to get more of an XP look, or Windows
Classic if you prefer the basic look of Windows 2000 and 98. Either choice should
also improve system performance, since the flashy (and essentially useless)
transparency effects are system resource hogs.
While you're at it, you can also revert Vista's Start menu to the simpler form it took in
earlier versions of Windows. Right-click the Start button, select Properties, and then
choose the Classic Start menu option.
Next, if you're frustrated by the absence of drop-down menus in Windows Explorer and
Internet Explorer, you can bring them back any time by pressing the Alt key. To make
this change permanent in Windows Explorer, open the Organize drop-down, select
Folder and Search Options, choose the View tab, and then turn on the Always show
menus check box.
VISTA Tip 3:
One of Vista's biggest problems is the Green Ribbon of Death, telling you that the
Explorer window has crashed. To make Explorer more stable in Vista, open Folder
Options in Control Panel, and choose the View tab. Select the first option here, Always
show icons, never thumbnails, and click OK.
Now, if you'd rather not do away with Vista's thumbnail previews of videos and pictures,
you're probably going to need to deal with the occasional crash.
If the Green Ribbon rears its ugly head, just press Ctrl-Shift-Esc,
then choose the Processes tab.
Click the Image Name column header to sort the list alphabetically, then select an
instance of Explorer.exe and
click End Process to close it (repeat for each open Explorer window).
If the desktop disappears in the process, don't sweat it: From Task Manager's File
menu, select New Task, type explorer in the box, and click OK to bring the desktop back.
If this problem keeps happening, particularly each time you browse a specific folder, the
likely culprit is a corrupt photo or video file; delete the file to stop the crashing.
Tired of dealing with Vista's annoying "Windows needs your permission to continue"
window each time you want to make a change in the Control Panel? It's not hard to get
rid of, but before you reach for that off switch, think why it's there.
Unlike its predecessors, Vista doesn't give "administrator" users carte blanche. Instead,
administrators operate in a more restrictive "standard user account" mode most of the
time. Only when you make a change that supposedly affects other users on your PC
(regardless of whether there are any), such as installing a new hardware driver or
changing Windows Firewall settings, does Vista prompt you for your permission.
The point of this design is to block unwelcome access to the operating system and thus
keep out spyware, viruses, and other malware. Of course, this newfound sanctuary
comes at a cost: The UAC prompt is cumbersome, and the restrictive policies that come
with it can break some software.
You'll Get Sick of Seeing This Before Long
The UAC prompt appears whenever you attempt something that requires administrator
privileges, such as changing the system clock or updating hardware drivers.
Run as Administrator
Some older applications that don't know about Vista's UAC feature may need your help,
particularly if they require write access to the Registry or to your Program Files folder to
work properly ("standard" users aren't permitted to perform these actions). To give
these programs the privileges they need, right-click their icons and select Run as
administrator. You can make this permanent by right-clicking, selecting Properties, and
clicking the Compatibility tab.
Fine-Tune Instead
If you're using the Ultimate or Business edition of Vista, open the Local Security Policy
editor (in the Start menu search box, type secpol.msc). Expand the Local Policies
branch, click Security Options, and then double-click the User Account Control:
Behavior of the Elevation Prompt setting. Choose Elevate without prompting to skip the
UAC window, or Prompt for credentials to toughen security by requiring a password
each time.
Turn Off UAC
Still want to turn it off? In Control Panel, open User Accounts. If your username is
marked "Administrator," you can turn off UAC by clicking the Turn User Account Control
on or off link. Once UAC is off, Vista is in permanent administrator mode—less
annoying, for sure, but easier for spyware to infiltrate.
One reason Vista's connection may be slow:
Auto-Tuning may not be compatible with your Router.
To check, do this: At the Start menu type command, but don't immediately launch the
command prompt. Instead, right-click it and choose Run as Administrator. Type this
command: netsh interface tcp show global
If the line Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level does not say "disabled," enter this
command: netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=restricted
Better? If no change, repeat the above process but use the command: netsh interface
tcp set global autotuning=disabled
If this didn't help, you might as well put things back to normal by repeating the above but
finishing with the command: netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=normal
Make sure when you are changing things you are logged on as administrator or have
administrator rights. (Vista likes to ask if you are sure you really want to make a
change, write a file, etc. You have to give Vista permission.)
Vista Tip 2:
Do you want to stay with Vista????
Do you still prefer the XP experience?
Here are some ways to make it work more like XP:
First, right-click on an empty area of the desktop and select Personalize.
Click the Window Color and Appearance link,
and then click Open classic appearance properties for more color options.
From the list, choose Windows Vista Basic to get more of an XP look, or Windows
Classic if you prefer the basic look of Windows 2000 and 98. Either choice should
also improve system performance, since the flashy (and essentially useless)
transparency effects are system resource hogs.
While you're at it, you can also revert Vista's Start menu to the simpler form it took in
earlier versions of Windows. Right-click the Start button, select Properties, and then
choose the Classic Start menu option.
Next, if you're frustrated by the absence of drop-down menus in Windows Explorer and
Internet Explorer, you can bring them back any time by pressing the Alt key. To make
this change permanent in Windows Explorer, open the Organize drop-down, select
Folder and Search Options, choose the View tab, and then turn on the Always show
menus check box.
VISTA Tip 3:
One of Vista's biggest problems is the Green Ribbon of Death, telling you that the
Explorer window has crashed. To make Explorer more stable in Vista, open Folder
Options in Control Panel, and choose the View tab. Select the first option here, Always
show icons, never thumbnails, and click OK.
Now, if you'd rather not do away with Vista's thumbnail previews of videos and pictures,
you're probably going to need to deal with the occasional crash.
If the Green Ribbon rears its ugly head, just press Ctrl-Shift-Esc,
then choose the Processes tab.
Click the Image Name column header to sort the list alphabetically, then select an
instance of Explorer.exe and
click End Process to close it (repeat for each open Explorer window).
If the desktop disappears in the process, don't sweat it: From Task Manager's File
menu, select New Task, type explorer in the box, and click OK to bring the desktop back.
If this problem keeps happening, particularly each time you browse a specific folder, the
likely culprit is a corrupt photo or video file; delete the file to stop the crashing.
Tired of dealing with Vista's annoying "Windows needs your permission to continue"
window each time you want to make a change in the Control Panel? It's not hard to get
rid of, but before you reach for that off switch, think why it's there.
Unlike its predecessors, Vista doesn't give "administrator" users carte blanche. Instead,
administrators operate in a more restrictive "standard user account" mode most of the
time. Only when you make a change that supposedly affects other users on your PC
(regardless of whether there are any), such as installing a new hardware driver or
changing Windows Firewall settings, does Vista prompt you for your permission.
The point of this design is to block unwelcome access to the operating system and thus
keep out spyware, viruses, and other malware. Of course, this newfound sanctuary
comes at a cost: The UAC prompt is cumbersome, and the restrictive policies that come
with it can break some software.
You'll Get Sick of Seeing This Before Long
The UAC prompt appears whenever you attempt something that requires administrator
privileges, such as changing the system clock or updating hardware drivers.
Run as Administrator
Some older applications that don't know about Vista's UAC feature may need your help,
particularly if they require write access to the Registry or to your Program Files folder to
work properly ("standard" users aren't permitted to perform these actions). To give
these programs the privileges they need, right-click their icons and select Run as
administrator. You can make this permanent by right-clicking, selecting Properties, and
clicking the Compatibility tab.
Fine-Tune Instead
If you're using the Ultimate or Business edition of Vista, open the Local Security Policy
editor (in the Start menu search box, type secpol.msc). Expand the Local Policies
branch, click Security Options, and then double-click the User Account Control:
Behavior of the Elevation Prompt setting. Choose Elevate without prompting to skip the
UAC window, or Prompt for credentials to toughen security by requiring a password
each time.
Turn Off UAC
Still want to turn it off? In Control Panel, open User Accounts. If your username is
marked "Administrator," you can turn off UAC by clicking the Turn User Account Control
on or off link. Once UAC is off, Vista is in permanent administrator mode—less
annoying, for sure, but easier for spyware to infiltrate.
One reason Vista's connection may be slow:
Auto-Tuning may not be compatible with your Router.
To check, do this: At the Start menu type command, but don't immediately launch the
command prompt. Instead, right-click it and choose Run as Administrator. Type this
command: netsh interface tcp show global
If the line Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level does not say "disabled," enter this
command: netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=restricted
Better? If no change, repeat the above process but use the command: netsh interface
tcp set global autotuning=disabled
If this didn't help, you might as well put things back to normal by repeating the above but
finishing with the command: netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=normal