Quick Format Vs Default Format

Today tip about formatting your Hard disk partitions. When you ready to format you partitions, you have two methods to format a partition, you can work with default formatting and other quick format method.

When you first time format your system partition, you should use default method. This is slow and low-level formatting but with this method you can remove all data from the partition as well as the hard disk is scanned for bad sectors. Here you can fix your system bad sectors.

If you select the quick format method, you can save time but you can remove only data from the partition and does not scan the disk for bad sectors. If you sure about your hard disk health then quick format should be fine to remove data with in short time.

How to Disable or Enable Auto run CD in Windows XP?

In windows XP you can enjoy a good feature to run CD or DVD automatically when you loaded it into you CD drives on your computer. This is a defaults feature in windows XP but you can disable and enable it according to your nature of work. In user interface mode there is no option to disable or enable this feature, you must edit the registry of windows and be careful to work registry.

Click Start button then type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

Here locate the location to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom

Here you can disable or enable automatically running your CD. Change the value of Autorun to 0 for disable and change the value to 1 for enable. At the end restart your computer for this change.

How to start windows programs quickly with Run Command?

The run option of Start menu is used to run a program or to open a document directly. If you do not know the exact location of the program or document then click on Start button to open Run and type the programs shortcut name to open it directly.

Run Commands

• appwiz.cpl -- Used to run Add/Remove wizard

• Calc --Calculator

• Cfgwiz32 --ISDN Configuration Wizard

• Charmap --Character Map

• Chkdisk --Repair damaged files

• Cleanmgr --Cleans up hard drives

• Clipbrd --Windows Clipboard viewer

• Control --Displays Control Panel

• Cmd --Opens a new Command Window

• Control mouse --Used to control mouse properties

• Dcomcnfg --DCOM user security

• Debug --Assembly language programming tool

• Defrag --Defragmentation tool

• Drwatson --Records programs crash & snapshots

• Dxdiag --DirectX Diagnostic Utility

• Explorer --Windows Explorer

• 

• Fontview --Graphical font viewer

• Fsmgmt.msc -- Used to open shared folders

• Firewall.cpl -- Used to configure windows firewall

• Ftp -ftp.exe program

• Hostname --Returns Computer's name

• Hdwwiz.cpl -- Used to run Add Hardware wizard

• Ipconfig --Displays IP configuration for all network adapters

• Logoff -- Used to logoff the computer

• MMC --Microsoft Management Console

• Msconfig --Configuration to edit startup files

• Mstsc -- Used to access remote desktop

• Mrc -- Malicious Software Removal Tool

• Msinfo32 --Microsoft System Information Utility

• Nbtstat --Displays stats and current connections using NetBIOS over TCP/IP

• Netstat --Displays all active network connections

• Nslookup--Returns your local DNS server

• Osk ---Used to access on screen keyboard

• Perfmon.msc -- Used to configure the performance of Monitor.

• Ping --Sends data to a specified host/IP

• Powercfg.cpl -- Used to configure power option

• Regedit --Registry Editor

• Regwiz -- Registration wizard

• Sfc /scannow -- System File Checker

• Sndrec32 --Sound Recorder

• Shutdown -- Used to shutdown the windows

• Spider -- Used to open spider solitaire card game

• Sfc / scannow -- Used to run system file checker utility.

• Sndvol32 --Volume control for soundcard

• Sysedit -- Edit system startup files

• Taskmgr --Task manager

• Telephon.cpl -- Used to configure modem options.

• Telnet --Telnet program

• Tracert --Traces and displays all paths required to reach an internet host

• Winchat -- Used to chat with Microsoft

• Wmplayer -- Used to run Windows Media player

• 

• Wab -- Used to open Windows address Book.

• WinWord -- Used to open Microsoft word

• Winipcfg --Displays IP configuration

• Winver -- Used to check Windows Version

• Wupdmgr --Takes you to Microsoft Windows Update

• Write -- Used to open WordPad..

How to delete files that are used by other programs in windows XP/Vista?

Today tip will help you to delete the files and folders that are being used by another programs and applications, for example a virus affected file. You have tried to delete such kind of files or folders and received the any following messages.

• Cannot delete file: the file is in use by the other program

• Cannot delete file: There has been a sharing violation

• Cannot delete file: The file is in use by another program or user

• Cannot delete file: Disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

• Cannot delete file: The source or destination file may be in use

Normally, a windows restart will allow you to delete such files or folders that are being used by other program, but if you want to manage it without restart your computer then simply you need to download a freeware tool called Unlocker.

You can download this tool for any windows version using Unlocker link. Download it and run the easy setup.

After installation, right click on file or folder that you want to delete and select the option Unlocker.

If your requested file or folder is used or locked by other application then a small window listing of lockers will appear.

Here simply click on “Unlock All” button and now you can easily delete this file.

How to enable the advance performance setting in windows vista?

If you have noticed that the speed of your system is very slow with windows vista then today tip is very useful for you to increase the performance of windows vista. There is some default setting in vista which is used to manage the write caching on disk. By default windows enabled the write caching on disk but the advanced performance setting is disabled.

Follow the given steps to configure the advance performance setting in Windows Vista:

To enable this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

First right click on My Computer icon then select the option Manage.

Here small windows will appear with title Computer Management, now select the Device Manager option, then locate the SATA Disk under the Disk Drives.

Here select the enable advanced performance sittings on the SATA disk.

Now click on Ok button to apply the setting and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

How to increase the Browsing and Downloading speed in Windows Vista?

With windows Vista you have noticed the slow internet speed. The web browsing and downloading speed is very slow as compare to previous versions of windows. You can open the same sites in windows XP and server 2003 with the normal speed.

Follow the given steps to increase the Vista browsing speed:

First go to Advance tab in Internet Explorer and turn off the TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption option. Here to fix problem with some secure pages turn on the SSL 2.0 (Secure Sockets Layer) feature and click Ok button to close it.

Follow the major fix for this problem:

In windows Vista, the TCP autotuning feature is enabled by default. Some web servers do not respond properly to this feature, so it appears that some sites open with very slow speed.

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

First click on Start button and type CMD in Run option then press Enter.

At Command Prompt, type the following command and press enter.

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel= disabled

This command will disable the TCP autotuning feature. Now close the command Prompt and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

You can easily restore these setting by typing the following command at Command Prompt.

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel= normal

Now close the command Prompt and again restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

How to disable the "Turn Off Computer" button in windows XP?

Today tip is very useful particularly for those users who want to restrict the common users to shutdown public computer in common areas. You can disable the "Turn off Computer" button on the start menu and a common user will not "Turn Off, Restart and Stand By" a computer. Using registry editor, you can implement this task in all windows XP versions with minimum effort.

Follow the given steps to disable Turn off Computer" button on the start menu:

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

Click Start button and type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

Here locate the location to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Here in right side panel, right click to create a new DWORD value with the name NoClose.

Now assign number 1 in value data box and close the registry editor.

Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

But next time, if you want to enable "Turn Off Computer" button on start menu then simply change the value of data box to 0 or delete NoClose DWORD item.

How to disable the right click functionality on the desktop?

Today tip is very useful particularly for home users who want to protect their system default settings against unwanted changes that other users can make. For example changes in system desktop appearance, themes, and screen saver as well as other display settings. Using registry editor, you can disable the right click functionality on desktop to access the "Display Properties" dialog box and this will also prevent users to access windows explorer.

Follow the given steps to disable the right click functionality on desktop:

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

Click Start button and type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

Here locate the location to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Here in right side panel, right click to create a new DWORD value with the name NoViewContextMenu (it is case sensitive), then assign number 1 in value data box.

Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

But next time, if you want to enable right click functionality on desktop then simply change the value of data box or delete the NoViewContextMenu DWORD item.