http://malektips.com/windows_vista_help_and_tips.html Windows Vista help and technical support. Topics include installation, the Explorer, managing fonts, security, the Start Menu, and the Taskbar. en-us Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:19:56 GMT Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:19:56 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Custom webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) http://malektips.com/graphics/logo_88x30.gif http://malektips.com/windows_vista_help_and_tips.html 88 30 http://malektips.com/vista-enable-recycle-bin-properties.html The following Policy and Registry edits may allow you to adjust Recycle Bin Properties on a Windows Vista system.

Right-clicking the Recycle Bin on a Windows Vista Desktop allows you to perform several actions such as adjusting the Recycle Bin size, configuring whether or not a file deletion prompt should appear, or toggling whether or not files should be removed immediately or placed in the Recycle Bin.

If this menu option is not available, or if clicking the "Properties" option shows a dialog box "The properties for this item are not available", the following two methods may restore this functionality. Note you must be logged in as an Administrator....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:02:47 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-enable-recycle-bin-properties.html http://malektips.com/vista-delete-files-immediately.html Prevent Windows Vista from moving files to the Recycle Bin instead of deleting them from your system.

By default, when you delete files via Explorer or most applications on your Windows Vista system, files are not immediately deleted but moved to the Recycle Bin. This way you can recover files later if accidentally removed.

To store deleted files, the Recycle Bin takes up space on your hard drives. If you would like to reclaim this space, albeit removing this deletion safeguard, do the following:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:38:38 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-delete-files-immediately.html http://malektips.com/vista-delete-confirmation-dialog.html Prevent Windows Vista from prompting you if you really want to delete a file.

By default, when you try deleting a file from Explorer or most applications on a Windows Vista system, a confirmation dialog is shown. This prompt requires you to confirm whether or not you wish to move the file to the Recycle Bin or delete the file permanently.

While many people appreciate this dialog, others may find this extremely annoying, especially if they are performing system maintenance. Some may find the Recycle Bin functionality enough of a safeguard so that they do not need the confirmation dialog. Thus this can be disabled....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:02:21 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-delete-confirmation-dialog.html http://malektips.com/vista-reduce-recycle-bin-size.html The Windows Vista Recycle Bin requires space on your hard drives to store deleted files. Reduce this space if you need the room and don't need to store so many files.

By default when you delete a file from Explorer or most applications on a Windows Vista system, the file is not deleted but moved to the Recycle Bin. This way later you can recover the file if it was accidentally removed.

Storing old files takes up space on your hard drives, so if room is at a premium you can reduce the Recycle Bin's allotted maximum space:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 2 Jun 2009 18:59:43 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-reduce-recycle-bin-size.html http://malektips.com/vista-recycle-bin-icon-empty-full.html Change how the Recycle Bin appears, whether it is empty or full.

If you do not like the appearance of the Recycle Bin on your Windows Vista system, it is relatively easy to change.

1. Right-click an empty area of the Desktop and choose "Personalize"....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 27 May 2009 18:04:53 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-recycle-bin-icon-empty-full.html http://malektips.com/vista-recycle-bin-desktop.html Show the Recycle Bin on the Windows Vista Desktop if it is not present. Includes registry, Policy, and other workarounds if necessary.

The Recycle Bin icon on the Windows Vista desktop lets you drag and drop icons from Explorer to delete them, plus it provides a way to recover some files that have been deleted before they are permanently removed from the machine.*

If this icon is not present on the Desktop, do the following:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 26 May 2009 14:32:03 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-recycle-bin-desktop.html http://malektips.com/vista-disable-visual-effects.html To increase system performance and decrease battery usage in Windows Vista, learn how to disable some or all visual effects.

If your processor and graphics card can handle it, Windows Vista automatically adjusts screen elements for a nicer display. These elements include window transparency, animations, drop shadows, showing the window contents when dragging, and smooth scrolling list boxes.

While many appreciate this "eye candy", in some situations you may wish to disable some or all of these features. You may be running multiple applications simultaneously and noticing the system running slower. Perhaps you are running a laptop on its battery and need to conserve power. Thus these items can be enabled or disabled individually, or disabled en masse:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 25 May 2009 18:03:52 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-disable-visual-effects.html http://malektips.com/vista-disable-tablet-pc-ink.html If you don't need Windows Vista's ink and pen support, turn off the unnecessary service.

Most editions of Windows Vista except Windows Home Basic come built-in with support for digital ink and pen input.

For tablet PCs this provides alternate input methods that can be used with character recognition capabilities. If you do not have a tablet PC and/or do not need this feature, however, consider disabling it. ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 22 May 2009 18:04:50 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-disable-tablet-pc-ink.html http://malektips.com/vista-windows-update-device-driver.html Configure whether or not Windows Vista should connect to the Internet to search for device drivers via Windows Update when plugging in a new device.

Depending on your configuration, when you plug in a new device into your Windows Vista system (such as a USB printer, scanner, or sound card) and no matching device driver is found on the computer, Windows may automatically connect to Windows Update over the Internet. This is to see if a matching driver is available. When so, the driver is installed, and the new device should be ready to use.

If you plug in devices into your machine and Windows Vista is not connecting to the Internet automatically, this feature may be disabled. Conversely, for privacy reasons, you may not want Vista to perform this automatic connection. You can disable it outright or have Vista prompt you whether or not you want to access Windows Update when plugging in a device....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 21 May 2009 19:48:01 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-windows-update-device-driver.html http://malektips.com/vista-start-menu-default-programs.html If not needed, remove the direct link to the Default Programs Control Panel from the Start Menu.

The "Default Programs" Control Panel in Windows Vista provides the ability to configure whether certain programs should be the default for various file types, tasks, and protocols, as well as AutoPlay settings.

When configuring your system this direct link may be useful. In other situations, it just may be wasting space. If you would like to remove it from the Windows Vista Start Menu:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 20 May 2009 18:07:26 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-start-menu-default-programs.html http://malektips.com/vista-system-failure-automatically-restart.html Do not automatically restart Windows Vista when the system fails so you can read the debug information.

By default when a critical system failure occurs that can be caught by Windows Vista and does not cause the machine to completely hang, Windows briefly displays some of the debug information onscreen. More detailed debug information is written to disk, then the system reboots.

While many computers, such as servers, need to automatically reboot upon system failure so they can more quickly restart and handle requests, desktop computer users may not want this to occur. By reading the on-screen debug data and using search engines or posting it to forums, the cause of the critical restart may be found and in some cases fixed....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 19 May 2009 18:26:15 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-system-failure-automatically-restart.html http://malektips.com/windows-vista-accessibility-mouse-keys.html If you or someone you know has difficulty using a mouse, consider turning on Mouse Keys to control the pointer using the keyboard.

Some people may have difficulty using a mouse in Windows Vista. If you or someone you know falls into this group, you may be interested in a feature called Mouse Keys.

Mouse Keys allows you to control the mouse pointer with the keyboard. When this feature is active, you can use the numeric keypad to move the mouse:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 7 May 2009 14:23:17 GMT http://malektips.com/windows-vista-accessibility-mouse-keys.html http://malektips.com/vista-explorer-file-folder-double-click.html Toggle whether or not Windows Vista lets you open files or folders by single or double-click.

Depending on your Windows Vista configuration, to select files and folders in Explorer you either need to click on the files or double-click the files. If double-clicking is required, clicking once on a file selects it; twice opens it. If files and folders open on a single click, merely pointing to a file and keeping the mouse cursor stationary selects the file. If you wish to toggle this behavior:

1. Do one of the following:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 5 May 2009 19:23:48 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-explorer-file-folder-double-click.html http://malektips.com/vista-explorer-recent-views.html Display recent views in Explorer including recently-accessed directories, stacks, and search results.

While navigating through Explorer windows in Windows Vista did you ever wish you could return to a recently-accessed folder, search results page, or stack without having to re-navigate?

Near the top of Explorer windows you should see back and forward buttons. Immediately to the right of the forward button is a small down-pointed arrow. Click it to view a list of recently-accessed "pages" in Explorer, then click a menu item to view the results....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 4 May 2009 14:39:27 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-explorer-recent-views.html http://malektips.com/vista-stack-files.html When viewing folders in Explorer, stack files by type, date, size, or other options.

When viewing files in Explorer folders in Windows Vista, especially inside folders with dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of files, you may find it difficult to spot the exact file you need. Or, you may be looking through a folder to determine how many images you have, which files are taking up the most space, which files were updated recently and those modified a long time ago, and other options.

To help facilitate these and other tasks you can stack similar files together. Below are two ways to do so complete with examples:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 1 May 2009 17:14:19 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-stack-files.html http://malektips.com/vista-media-center-disable-sounds.html In Windows Vista, if you find the sounds that play when navigating Windows Media Center annoying, disable them.

Normally, as you navigate and select items in Windows Media Center in Windows Vista, sounds play. While some appreciate these audio cues, others find them annoying and would rather disable them:

1. Select "Tasks" - "settings"....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 3 Mar 2009 19:41:01 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-media-center-disable-sounds.html http://malektips.com/vista-third-party-defragmenter.html For enhanced performance, consider using a third-party defragmenting tool.

While Windows Vista's Disk Defragmenter works well for most users, there may be circumstances where you need a more advanced tool:

* Files that are currently in use, such as the hibernation or page files, cannot be defragmented without a tool that can work outside of Windows. ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:49:06 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-third-party-defragmenter.html http://malektips.com/vista-defragment-command-prompt-batch-file.html If desired, defragment drives in Windows Vista via the command prompt or batch files.

You may not wish to rely on Windows Vista's Disk Defragmenter running on a schedule, preferring to perform this task manually via the command prompt. Or, you may need to create service-oriented batch files that defragment drives as a part of other maintenance tasks.

1. Click the "Start" button and type cmd....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:41:24 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-defragment-command-prompt-batch-file.html http://malektips.com/vista-analyze-drive-only.html Analyze how fragmented a particular drive may be without defragmenting the drive.

In previous versions of the Disk Defragmenter that came with Windows, you had the option to analyze drives only without performing a full defragmentation. This way you could see if a particular drive really needed this task performed or if you could wait a while.

Unfortunately, the Windows Vista Disk Defragmenter GUI lacks this option. However, the command-line tool does support analyzing a drive....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:31:09 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-analyze-drive-only.html http://malektips.com/vista-disk-defragmenter-select-drive.html Choose whether or not Windows Vista Disk Defragmenter should run on a particular drive or partition when running on a schedule.

By default, when Windows Vista's Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, it attempts to defragment every volume on your computer, including all drives and partitions. There may be circumstances, however, where you wish this tool to only work on particular volumes and not to automatically defragment new volumes as they are added. Thus, to change this setting:

1. Click the "Start" button and type disk defragmenter, then click "Disk Defragmenter" when it appears. Or, click the "Start" button, select "All Programs", "Accessories", "System Tools", then "Disk Defragmenter"....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:28:35 GMT http://malektips.com/vista-disk-defragmenter-select-drive.html